Turkish Soldier, Six PKK Militants Killed in Shootout in Turkey’s Southeast

ANKARA (Sputnik) — One Turkish soldier and six militants of the outlawed in Turkey Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) died in a fire fight in the town of Cizre, in the southeastern Turkish Sirnak province, the Turkish General Staff said Friday.

Earlier, Turkish authorities imposed a curfew in a number of southeastern settlements most affected by the armed clashes between Ankara forces and PKK militants. Some 1.3 million civilians reportedly live in the area, however, the country’s Interior Ministry said that over 100,000 of them have fled their homes due the to the ongoing violence.

"On December 24, during an anti-terrorist operation in Cizre, a fire fight broke out, in which three of our soldiers were injured. They were immediately taken to a hospital, one died of injuries despite treatment. The others do not have life-threatening injuries. Six terrorists were neutralized in the clashes," a statement on the General Staff’s website reads.

The security situation in Turkey deteriorated in the summer, when 33 Kurdish activists were killed in a suicide bombing in Suruc and two Turkish policemen were later murdered by the PKK, which led Ankara to launch a military campaign against the group.