UPDATE- 5 soldiers martyred in PKK terror attack in SE Turkey

UPDATES WITH MILITARY'S STATEMENT, ATTACK IN SIRNAK

HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) - At least five Turkish soldiers were martyred and eight others were injured during a clash with PKK terrorists in southeastern Turkey Friday, Turkish military confirmed.

According to a statement issued by the Turkish General Staff, five soldiers were martyred when PKK terrorists attacked them at a road security checkpoint on a highway located in Hakkari province’s Cukurca district.

The eight injured personnel were taken to hospitals in Cukurca and Hakkari.

The army also lost contact with one of its soldiers involved in the clash, according to the statement. An operation to arrest the terrorists remains underway in the region, the military added.

In separate, another soldier was seriously injured in a clash with PKK terrorists in Turkey’s southeastern Sirnak province Friday.

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, nearly 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have been martyred and more than 5,000 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.