UPDATE 4 - 3 soldiers martyred in SE Turkey

UPDATES NUMBER OF PKK CASUALTIES, ADDS ANTI-TERROR RAID IN VAN PROVINCE

HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) – Three soldiers were martyred and six others injured in an operation against the terrorist PKK in Turkey’s southeastern province of Hakkari early Friday.

Security sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking with the media, said the casualties came from a clash in the Cukurca district between Turkish security forces and PKK terrorists in the Mt. Guven area, close to Turkey's border with Iraq.

The PKK terrorists had attempted to infiltrate a military base.

A total of 20 PKK terrorists were "neutralized" in an air-supported operation in the area, according to a briefing by the Turkish General Staff.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply the terrorist in question was either killed or captured.

In a separate incident in eastern border province of Van, three more PKK terrorists were killed Friday, the governor's office said.

Security forces raided a suspected house in Ercis district to capture the terrorists and an armed fight took place as they tried to run away.

Long-barreled weapons, Kalashnikov rifles, grenades, and explosives were also seized during the operation.

Four other terrorists were "neutralized" by Turkish artillery fired from Hakkari's Semdinli district into the Hakurk area in northern Iraq.

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.