Turkish soldier killed in operations against PKK militants

ANKARA, Turkey A Turkish soldier was killed and three wounded on Tuesday in clashes between security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the southeastern town of Cizre, the military said.

    The statement from the military also said 15 PKK members had been killed and that security operations in the area were continuing.

Turkish security forces have been trying to clear southeastern towns and cities of PKK militants since last July, when a two-year ceasefire collapsed.

The PKK, which says it is fighting for autonomy for Turkey's large ethnic Kurdish minority, is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The decades-long conflict has cost more than 40,000 lives.

(Reporting by Dasha Afanasieva; Editing by Gareth Jones)