TEHRAN, May 31: Seven Iranian soldiers, including two generals, have been killed in clashes with rebels in a Kurdish populated area in the north of the country, the IRNA reported on Thursday.

The soldiers appeared to have been killed in clashes on Monday with “counter revolutionary elements” which the military has already said resulted in the deaths of 10 rebels.

The commander of the Aba Abdollah al-Hossein second brigade Brigadier General Ali Reza Talaie and the head of intelligence of this unit Ghorban Ali Ebrahimi were killed, along with their comrades, an army statement said.

It said five other rank-and-file soldiers were killed in the clashes near the town of Salmas in Iran's West Azarbaijan province, 30 kilometres from the border with Turkey.—AFP