5 soldiers martyred in PKK terror attack in SE Turkey

By Mehmet Dayan

HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) - At least five Turkish soldiers were martyred and eight others were injured in a clash with PKK terrorists in southeastern Turkey on Friday, a security source told Anadolu Agency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the source said the soldiers were martyred in the clash that erupted after the PKK terrorists attacked during a road security check in on a highway located in Cukurca district of Hakkari province.

The injured were immediately taken to hospitals in Cukurca and Hakkari.

An operation to arrest the PKK terrorists remains underway in the region, the source added.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization also by the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, nearly 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have been martyred and more than 5,000 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.