Two soldiers killed in clashes with PKK militants

Two soldiers died early Wednesday in clashes with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir province, a local media reported.

According to the Anadolu Agency, the dead soldiers have been identified as gendarmes Latif Adiguzel and Muhammet Tufan.

Separately, a military statement said Tuesday that one Turkish soldier was killed and several others wounded in clashes between the Turkish security forces and the PKK militants in southeastern Turkey on late Monday night and Tuesday.

The clashes erupted in Lice town of Diyarbakir province in southeastern Turkey, leaving four Turkish soldiers wounded, said the statement.

In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday morning, the Diyarbakir Governor's Office declared the curfew in Silvan, a district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier vowed to continue military operations against the PKK. "We will persevere in our struggle until they lay down and bury their arms, and until the last terrorist leaves the country," Erdogan said.

Tensions between Turkish security forces and the PKK are increasing following an Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing on July 20, leaving 32 individuals killed and 104 activists injured in town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province bordering Syria. Endit