Explosion, deaths reported in Turkey’s Diyarbakir

World Today

Turkey ExplosionA Turkey national flag hung on a balcony on Istiklal Street in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Six police officers were killed and at least 23 people wounded on Thursday in a bomb attack targeting a Turkish police vehicle in the Kurdish-majority southeastern city of Diyarbakir, a security source said.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said a bomb detonated Thursday as a special forces vehicle passed by and that civilians were among the wounded.

The private Dogan news agency reported the same toll and attributed the cause of the explosion to a car bomb. The agency blamed “terrorists” for the incident, using the government designation for Kurdish rebels.

An opposition politician based in Diyarbakir, Omer Tastan, confirmed there had been an explosion in the city, which has suffered renewed violence between security forces and Kurdish militants.

Story updated 12:54 p.m. EST with new information via AFP. Previous reports listed 4 dead and 14 wounded.