Turkey's military on Tuesday pressed ahead with a major offensive against Kurdish fighters, while Turkish leaders met again on how to deal with the Kurdish militants, who often launch attacks from bases in northern Iraq.
According to the AP, Kurdish rebels have killed 15 troops in separate attacks in the past two days.
Turkey has been pressuring Iraq and the United States to clamp down on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq. The PKK is branded a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.
The state-run Anatolia news agency said troops have been tracking down rebels in the Gabar, Cudi, Namaz and Kato mountains, in Sirnak province which borders Iraq. Helicopter gunships were also deployed, the report said.
In Sirnak, the biggest city in the province of the same name, regional governor Selahattin Apari confirmed on Monday that military operations were under way.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday chaired an emergency counterterrorism meeting between government ministers and the country's top security officials.
