Soldier martyred in bomb blast in Turkey's southeast

SIRNAK, Turkey

A Turkish soldier was martyred in a roadside bomb attack in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province on Wednesday, a military official said.

The soldier was severely injured when explosives believed to have been planted by PKK terrorists detonated as a military vehicle passed in Uludere, a district lying on the Iraq border.

He later died of his wounds in hospital, the official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

An operation was launched to catch the attackers.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year. Since then, more than 300 civilians and nearly 800 security personnel have been martyred. Around 8,000 PKK terrorists have been killed or apprehended.

Reporting by Ekrem Payan; Writing by Ahmet Sait Akçay;