Four soldiers were killed and six others were injured when a roadside bomb planted by PKK terrorists was detonated during the passage of a civilian minibus carrying soldiers and village guards in Derik district of southeastern Mardin province on Monday.

The minibus was carrying the soldiers returning from duty when the blast took place at the Kızıltepe - Derik road.

The injured soldiers were transferred to hospitals in Mardin, Derik and Kızıltepe for treatment. Four soldiers who suffered from heavy injuries in the explosion succumbed to their wounds at the hospital.

An operation has been launched in the area to capture the terrorists.

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

Since then, over 600 security personnel, including troops, police officers and village guards have been killed and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists have been killed in operations across Turkey and Northern Iraq.