By Necat Hazar

VAN, Turkey

A soldier was martyred in a PKK bomb attack in eastern Turkey’s Van province Thursday, the regional governor’s office said.

According to the office, the improvised explosives attack took place at 4.15 p.m. (1415 GMT) in Van’s Gurpinar district. PKK terrorists detonated the bomb on the Van-Sirnak road as soldiers passed by.

A search operation was launched following the attack, the office added.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU, which resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, PKK terrorist attacks have martyred more than 600 security personnel and also claimed the lives of numerous civilians, including women and children, while more than 7,000 PKK terrorists have been killed in army operations.