Soldier martyred in PKK terror attack in eastern Turkey

By Ahmet Okur and Sener Toktas

BITLIS, Turkey (AA) - At least one Turkish soldier was martyred and a village guard wounded in an attack carried out by PKK terrorists in eastern Turkey, official said Friday.

The PKK terrorists opened fire on security forces in Hizan district of eastern Bitlis province, said Bitlis Governor Ahmet Cinar.

Security forces have launched an operation in the region to catch the perpetrators of the attack, Cinar added.

Earlier Friday, two soldiers were martyred and six others injured in another PKK attack on a military base in southeastern Hakkari province.

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, over 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed or neutralized in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.

* Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report from Ankara.