The soldier was shot in the abdomen while driving a patrol vehicle near the border in Turkey's Mardin province, Anadolu said, adding that he succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

After being hit, the driver lost control of the vehicle and the three other passengers -- also soldiers -- were slightly injured in the accident.

Turkey's Mardin is located across the border of an area in northern Syria where Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) is present.

Ankara views the YPG as an offshoot of outlawed militants who have been waging a deadly insurgency against the Turkish state.