Turkey's military kills 35 PKK militants after deadly attack

Turkish security forces have killed 35 and wounded 25 militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK] after they tried to take over a base in the southeastern Hakkari province early on Saturday, local media reported.

The militants attempted to take the base, but were spotted by aerial reconnaissance. An air operation was launched, killing 23 of them.

Four more were then killed in a ground operation, they said. The remaining eight were killed in clashes in Hakkari's Cukurca district.

The overnight attack came hours after PKK militants killed eight Turkish soldiers on Friday in an ambush in the troubled southeast of the country, state media reported.

The soldiers were attacked while on patrol in Hakkari province on the road between Hakkari city and the town of Cukurca.

Turkish security forces were engaged in a large-scale military operation in Hakkari to target Kurdish militants in the area earlier this month.

Attacks against Turkish military personnel intensified since the collapse of a two-and-a-half-year ceasefire last July, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of security forces.

The government has conducted military operations against the group in the region's towns and cities in an attempt to rid urban areas of fighters in recent months.

Activists claim that innocent civilians have also been caught up in the renewed conflict.

Nearly 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK insurgency began in 1984.

The PKK is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey as well as by the European Union and the United States.

Agencies contributed to this report.