Ankara - Two Turkish soldiers were killed Friday night in a clash with Kurdish separatists in south-east Turkey. The soldiers were killed when a group of Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) opened fire on soldiers on patrol in a mountainous area near the town of Sirnak, according to a short statement posted on the website of the Turkish General Staff.

Ankara blames the separatist group for the deaths of more than 32,000 people since the early 1980s when the PKK began its fight for independence or autonomy for the mainly Kurdish-populated south-east of Turkey.

The PKK is considered by the United States and the European Union to be a terrorist group. (dpa)