At least eight Turkish soldiers have been killed and 14 others wounded during an attack near the Iraqi border by the Kurdish rebels according to reports from the Turkish military.A raid was launched by the members of the separatist Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), on an outpost near the city of Semdinli in Hakkari province.
In the subsequent clashed twelve rebels have been killed, said turkish officials. They also added that turkish aircraft have also bombed PKK positions in Iraq.
Till now more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflicts between the PKK and Turkey. The PKK has been fighting for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey since 1984.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Turkish military had killed four PKK fighters after crossing into northern Iraq, following an unsuccessful attack by the PKK on a border guard outpost.
These attacks by the Kurdish rebels in Turkey have stepped up in recent months.