Two soldiers killed in clashes in Turkey

Two soldiers of the Turkish security forces were killed on Sunday in clashes with the militants of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, the media reported.

The clashes between the PKK rebels and the Turkish security forces occurred in Incecayir Forest in Erzurum province, according to the report.

After the clashes, the PKK rebels escaped from the scene, the report said, adding that the Turkish troops had launched a military operation in fight against the PKK militants.

Over 2,000 PKK militants have been killed since July in over 4,300 operations of Turkish security forces, Xinhua news agency quoted Turkish Interior Minister Selami Altinok as saying.

Tension has been running high, especially in southeastern Turkey, amid a major military operation against PKK militants since July when a ceasefire fell apart.

The PKK is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the US.