Soldier martyred in PKK attack in Hakkari, SE Turkey

HAKKARI, Turkey

A Turkish soldier was martyred Sunday by a bomb planted along a highway by the PKK terrorist organization in the southeastern Hakkari province, security sources said.

According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the explosive detonated when soldiers were clearing mines along the Hakkari-Van highway.

An operation in the region is underway to apprehend the terrorists, the sources added.

Separately, 11 PKK terrorists were apprehended by security forces in an operation in the southeastern Mardin province, the governor's office said Sunday.

It added that several weapons were also seized during the operation.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015. Since then, more than 700 security force members have been martyred and around 8,000 PKK terrorists killed or apprehended.

Reporting by Yilmaz Kazandioglu : Writing by Diyar Duldogan