Two Turkish soldiers were killed and one was wounded during clashes with PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the military said Thursday.

The Turkish General Staff said the clash took place in Iraq's Avashin-Basyan region, which is located close to Turkey's Derecik village.The wounded soldier was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Turkey's military started a large scale air supported counterterror operation in the region.

Founded in 1978, the PKK has waged a bloody decades-long campaign against Turkey.

The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, resumed its armed campaign in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.

Since that time, the PKK has been responsible for the death of over 1,200 security personnel and civilians, including women and children, and has injured more than 4,000 security personnel and over 2,000 civilians.