ISTANBUL

A Turkish soldier was killed in a terror attack in northern Iraq when an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists went off, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The attack occurred in the Operation Pence-Yildirim zone on Thursday and killed Turkish soldier Harun Caliskan, the ministry said in a statement.

It extended its condolences to Caliskan's family and the Turkish nation.

The PKK terror group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Turkey's southern border, to plot terror attacks in Turkey.

The Pence operations are a series of offensives Turkey has carried out since 2019 against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.

Operations Pence-Kaplan and Pence-Kartal were initiated in June last year, while Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim were launched this April in Iraq's Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is PKK's Syrian offshoot.