Soldier martyred in PKK attack in southeast Turkey

ANKARA

A Turkish soldier was martyred in a PKK terrorist attack in southeastern Diyarbakir province’s Sur district early Monday, Turkish military said.

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement the soldier got severely wounded during an ongoing anti-terrorist operation in the district and later succumbed to his wounds at a hospital.

Turkey's southeast has been the scene of significant military operations since December 2015 as security forces clear urban centers of the PKK -- designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- which renewed its armed campaign against the Turkish state in late July 2015.

More than 280 security forces personnel have been martyred and thousands of PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq since December 2015.