Turkey's defense minister says seven Turkish soldiers are dead after their military convoy was ambushed by Kurdish rebels in the country's southeast.

Four roadside bombs exploded as a Turkish military convoy passed early Wednesday in Hakkari province near Turkey's border with Iraq. Eleven Turkish soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz vowed retaliation against the rebels, saying that members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, are responsible for the attack.

The attack comes just days after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's “patience is running out” with the rebels, who have waged a campaign for autonomy in the largely Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people.

Fighting between Kurdish rebels and the Turkish military has intensified in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, Kurdish rebels attacked a military convoy in southeast Turkey, killing three soldiers and wounding several others. Separately, a battle in July killed 13 Turkish soldiers and seven PKK militants.

Since calling off a cease-fire in February, the PKK has adopted what it calls an “active defense” stance, which allows its fighters to defend themselves if they feel threatened.

Turkey, the United States, and the European Union consider the PKK a terrorist group.