Two Turkish soldiers, 34 Kurdish militants killed: Security sources

Two Turkish soldiers and 34 Kurdish militants have been killed in an attack and subsequent clashes, Turkish security sources said on Friday, in the latest fighting between security forces and Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) guerrillas.

Ankara: Two Turkish soldiers and 34 Kurdish insurgents have been killed in a militant attack and Turkish military operations backed by air strikes, Turkish security sources said on Friday.

Southeastern Turkey has been trapped in a spiral of violence since the collapse in July of a ceasefire with the PKK, leaving efforts to find a long-term peace in tatters.

Overnight on Thursday Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters opened fire on troops in Sirnak province, close to Turkey`s Iraq border, killing 2 soldiers. In a now familiar pattern, the military launched air-backed reprisal operations, killing 34 militants, security sources told Reuters.

The latest clashes come as millions of Turks celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha. More than 100 security personnel and hundreds of PKK militants have been killed since July.

The recent upsurge of violence comes at a difficult time for Turkey, already wrestling with the complex humanitarian and security fallout from civil war in neighbouring Syria.

The PKK -- which fights for greater Kurdish autonomy -- is viewed as a terrorist organisation in both Europe and the United States.