UPDATE - 7 PKK terrorists killed in eastern, SE Turkey

UPDATES WITH PKK TERRORISTS DEATH TOLL, INJURED WORKERS

By Kemal Karadag & Nevzat Tas

ANKARA/HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) - At least seven PKK terrorists were ‘neutralized’ in air-backed operations carried out by Turkish armed forces in eastern and southeastern provinces Monday.

According to Turkish forces, three terrorists were killed in Davderal area of eastern Mus province, where they were planning an attack.

Four more PKK terrorists were also killed in an air-backed operation in Yuksekova district of southeastern Hakkari province, the local Governor's Office said in a statement.

The terrorists were reportedly preparing an attack on Turkish border posts in the region, it added.

A Turkish soldier also embraced martyrdom in a roadside bomb carried out by the PKK terrorists in the province.

The statement by Hakkari Governor's Office said the soldier was martyred by an improvised explosive device (IED) in a mountainous region of the Cukurca district.

Separately, two drilling workers in the province were injured in an attack with a bazooka by the terrorist group.

The injured workers, one of them in critical condition, have been hospitalized following the attack in Semdinli district, the Governor's Office said.

“The investigations to find the terrorists are ongoing,” it added.

Additionally, a separate attack martyred a village guard and injured another in Caldiran district of eastern Van province, according to a local security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

More than 1,200 people, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-long armed campaign in July 2015.