1 martyred in PKK attack in SE Turkey

Ercan Gultekin, 28, had just passed the exam to be a warden of Mardin Police Department. PKK terrorists opened gunfire in the Kiziltepe district, killing Gultekin, sources said who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Gultekin succumbed to his wounds at a nearby private hospital while his friend identified by his initials M.A., was sent to Kiziltepe State Hospital. There was no immediate information on M.A.’s condition.

An operation was later launched in the region to nab the terrorists.

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 600 security personnel have been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed.