A military statement today said six other soldiers were wounded in the attack yesterday in the mainly Kurdish Hakkari province, which border Iraq and Iran.
Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, detonated explosives killing soldiers who were traveling in a convoy.
The attack prompted the military to launch air operations against dozens of PKK targets.
Earlier, Firat News, a website close to the rebels, claimed that 32 soldiers were killed in the ambush.
The renewed fighting between the PKK and the security forces has killed about 200 people since July, including around 85 soldiers and police officers. The fighting has derailed a 2 1/2-year-old peace process with the Kurds.