Car Bomb in Diyarbakir, Turkey Kills Seven
A car bomb killed seven, at least four of them police officers, and wounded 20 other people in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Thursday, a government official said, the latest violence to hit the biggest city in the largely Kurdish region.
The attack targeted a minibus carrying members of the police special forces, a security source said, adding that civilians were also among the wounded. The explosion hit the vehicle as it passed near a bus station in Diyarbakir, broadcaster Haberturk TV said. Ambulances rushed to the scene, it said.
The southeast has been scorched by waves of violence since a ceasefire between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the government collapsed last July.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. A PKK offshoot has claimed two car bomb attacks this year in the capital Ankara.
The first, on February 17, targeted a military bus and killed 29 people, most of them soldiers. The second, just under a month later, tore through a crowded transport hub and killed 37 people.
NATO member Turkey faces multiple security threats. As part of a U.S.-led coalition, it is fighting Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq. In the southeast, the collapse of the 2-1/2-year ceasefire has meanwhile triggered some of the worst violence since the 1990s.
In Istanbul this month a suicide bomber, who the government said was a member of Islamic State, killed three Israeli tourists and an Iranian.
To Read The Full Story
Are you already a subscriber?
Click "Sign In" to log in!
Become a Web Subscriber
Click “Subscribe” below to begin the process of becoming a new subscriber.
Become a Print + Web Subscriber
Click “Subscribe” below to begin the process of becoming a new subscriber.
Renew Print + Web Subscription
Click “Renew Subscription” below to begin the process of renewing your subscription.