BITLIS, Turkey

A village guard and gendarme were killed and four others injured on Wednesday in an anti-terror operation in Turkey's eastern province of Bitlis.

The local governor's office in a statement said the clashes erupted during Operation Eren-11 in Tatvan district of Bitlis.

"In the clashes, one heroic security guard of the Provincial Gendarmerie Command was martyred and five of our gendarmerie personnel were injured," according to the statement.

The gendarme succumbed to his wounds while being treated at the hospital.

The injured are being treated at a local hospital.

An air-backed operation in the region is ongoing to neutralize PKK terrorists.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Operation Eren, named after Eren Bulbul, a 15-year-old killed by the terrorist PKK on Aug. 11, 2017, began in January with the aim of completely eliminating terrorism in the country.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.