"Following artillery fire by the terrorists from the Manbij region... one of our heroic comrades was killed and eight were injured," the ministry said.

The statement did not provide the precise location of the Turkish soldiers but said the army returned fire and killed at least 15 "terrorists."

Five Turkish soldiers have been killed since the operation was launched last Wednesday against Kurdish militants in Syria.

Meanwhile, shelling from Kurdish positions in Syria killed two civilians and wounded 12 others on Tuesday in the Turkish border town of Kiziltepe in Mardin province, the Anadolu state news agency reported.

Turkish border towns have come under heavy artillery fire from Kurdish positions in Syria, killing a total of 20 civilians since the operation began, and causing thousands to take refuge away from frontier.

Ankara is pressing its military operation against Kurdish militants, with the ultimate goal of clearing its border from "terrorists" and creating a "safe zone" to repatriate Syrian refugees.