A Turkish soldier patrols in the Sirnak province, on the Turkish-Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, 12 Nov 2007

Published reports say four Turkish soldiers have been killed in fighting with Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey.

The reports say the soldiers were killed Tuesday in the southeastern province of Sirnak, near the Iraqi border.

Kurdistan Workers' Party rebels have carried out a series of deadly attacks on Turkish troops in southeastern Turkey in recent weeks.

Turkey has threatened to launch a military operation in northern Iraq to attack PKK rebels who take refuge there.

Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about a Turkish aerial incursion into northern Iraq today.

Some reports quote Iraqi Kurdish officials and witnesses as saying Turkish aircraft bombed abandoned villages near the Turkish border, without causing casualties. Another report quotes an Iraqi Kurdish official as saying Turkish aircraft only dropped flares in the area.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that he is not aware of any Turkish air strikes in northern Iraq.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.