A major and a private were the victims in the clashes in the south-east of the country, a region with a predominantly Kurdish population.

The fighting occurred in the mountainous territory of the province of Sirnak close to the border with Iraq, where the Turkish army has mounted a major operation against rebels over the past few days, the officials said.

Government forces have intensified operations against Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) since December with air raids and a ground incursion in February into northern Iraq where more than 2,000 Kurdish rebels are entrenched, according to the Turkish government.

The PKK has been conducting an armed campaign since 1984 for independence for the south-eastern Kurdish region. More than 37,000 people have died in the conflict.

Turkish warplanes bombed several rear bases of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq on Wednesday, a spokesman for the guerillas told AFP.