One soldier of Turkish security forces was killed and another slightly wounded in an ambush by militants of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in eastern Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

Officials were quoted as saying PKK militants opened fire at patrolling gendarme teams in the rural area of Ercis town in the eastern province of Van, killing one soldier and wounding another slightly.

Two PKK militants were shot dead in the clash.

Anatolia said security forces continued military operations against the rebel group in the troubled region.

The PKK, with 4,000 to 5,000 militants, has been fighting for a Kurdish state covering southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and parts of Iran and Syria since 1984.

Violence subdued significantly after PKK commander Abdullah Ocalan was captured in 1999, but it was on the rise after the group called off a unilateral ceasefire in 2004.

The Turkish government refuses to negotiate with the group, deeming it a terror organization.

Source: Xinhua