UPDATE - 5 soldiers martyred in PKK explosions in eastern Turkey

UPDATES NUMBER OF MARTYRED TROOPS, ADDS DETAILS OF THIRD BLAST, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Cuneyt Celik, Kagizman Ali Celi, Sener Toktas and Ekrem Payan

KARS/BITLIS, Turkey (AA) - Five soldiers were martyred Tuesday in separate explosions during the ongoing anti-PKK operations in eastern and southeastern Turkey.

A roadside bomb martyred two soldiers, and wounded another in Kagizman, in the northeastern province of Kars.

In Senoba, a town in the southeastern province of Sirnak, two other soldiers were wounded in a blast while searching for hand-made explosives.

They later died of their injuries at Sirnak State Hospital.

During a separate operation in eastern Bitlis province, one soldier was martyred and another injured when a landmine laid by PKK terrorists went off.

The wounded soldier was transferred to Tatvan State Hospital.

Security forces in the regions launched an immediate hunt for the terrorists.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU. It resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015 and has since been responsible for the deaths of around 1,200 people, including women and children.