Germany urges Turkey to respect proportionality in fight against PKK

The phone call came after Kurdish militants killed two Turkish soldiers, apparently retaliating for Ankara's crackdown on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which was launched in tandem with strikes on Islamic State insurgents in Syria.

Davutoglu informed Merkel by phone about the actions of the Turkish government in the "fight against terrorism" following the attacks in Suruc and other attacks against Turkish security forces, a German government spokesman said.

Merkel assured Davutoglu of Germany's solidarity and support, the spokesman said, but he also added: "In this context she recalled the principle of proportionality in the implementation of necessary measures.

"The Chancellor also appealed that the peace process with the Kurds should not be given up, but continued despite all the difficulties," the spokesman added.

The militant PKK has said its truce with Ankara had lost all meaning after an attack by Turkish warplanes on its camps in northern Iraq.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber, editing by Larry King)