TUNCELI, Turkey 

Ten PKK terrorists were killed Monday in an air operation in Turkey’s eastern province of Tunceli, a local official said.

According to a statement from the provincial governor’s office, Kutudere, around 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the northeast of provincial capital Tunceli, was the scene of fierce clashes between security forces and the PKK.

An air operation in the region remains ongoing, the governor’s office said.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year. Since then, more than 700 security force members have been martyred and around 8,000 PKK terrorists killed or apprehended.

*Reporting by Haydar Toprakci; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu