Eight Turkish soldiers and 10 Kurdish rebels were killed early Tuesday in clashes in southeast Turkey

Eight Turkish soldiers and 10 Kurdish rebels were killed early Tuesday in clashes in southeast Turkey, the local governor's office said.
  
Eight Turkish soldiers were killed and 16 wounded when members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacked an army post at Yesiltas, near the border with Iraq and Iran, the governor's office said in a statement posted on its website.
  
"Operations are continuing in the region. According to preliminary findings, 10 terrorists were rendered ineffective," it added, a term often used by Turkish officials and security forces to refer to rebel deaths.
  
A group of Kurdish rebels probably crossed into Turkey from their bases in northern Iraq to attack the army post at Yesiltas, local security services said. The NTV news channel said ground troops and combat helicopters were pursuing the assailants.