Rebels fired rocket launchers on an army post in Hakkari province just after midnight, NTV in Turkey said.

BBC: Silhouette of a Kurdish fighter

According to the governor for Hakkari province, Orhan Alimoglu, six soldiers, two village guards and 11 Kurdish rebels were killed in the attack near the village of Gecimili.

BBC: Silhouette of a Kurdish fighter

Idris Naim Sahin said the offensive close to Semdinli town - also in Hakkari province - was ongoing and that troops were taking steps to prevent rebels fleeing into northern Iraq.

BBC: Silhouette of a Kurdish fighter

The PKK has escalated its battle in recent months, killing 24 soldiers in an attack last week in the province of Hakkari, south of Van.

ECONOMIST: Turkey and the Kurds

Turkey's Human Rights Association is investigating claims that the army has used chemical weapons against the PKK. These are probably overblown, but the refusal to hand over the bodies of 19 rebels killed in a recent clash in the south-eastern province of Hakkari has not helped.

ECONOMIST: Tests mount up for Turkey��s newly assertive foreign policy