Advertisement

At least 9 dead, dozens hurt in Turkey police blast

A car bomb explosion has rocked a police headquarters in the town of Cizre in Turkey, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens in the latest in a spate of attacks in the country’s turbulent south-east.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement on a website affiliated to the group.

The bomb attack caused immense damage to the headquarters of the special anti-riot police force in Cizre, with television pictures showing an immense plume of black smoke heading into the sky.

A dozen ambulances and two helicopters reportedly rushed to the scene.

Hospital sources said at least nine people were killed, while Health Minister Recep Akdag added that more than 70 people were injured.

Mr Akdag told reporters in Istanbul that the death toll remained unclear.

Cizre is located in Sirnak, a province that borders both Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population.

State-run Anadolu Agency blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has been involved in almost daily clashes in the region since last July, when a ceasefire between it and the government collapsed.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died since the rebels took up arms in 1984.

The militant group has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy has been involved in almost daily clashes with security forces since a ceasefire collapsed more than a year ago.

The bombing, the latest in a series of attacks in the southeast, comes as Turkey tries to recover from a failed July 15 military coup.

More than 1700 military personnel have been removed for their alleged role in the putsch, including some 40 per cent of admirals and generals, raising concern about the NATO member’s ability to protect itself as it battles both Islamic State in Syria and Kurdish militants at home.

Large plumes of smoke billowed from the site in Cizre, located in Turkey’s Sirnak province bordering both Syria and Iraq, footage on CNN Turk showed. The broadcaster said a dozen ambulances and two helicopters had been sent to the scene.

Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, speaking on broadcaster NTV, said 11 police officers were killed and 78 were wounded. Health Minister Recep Akdag said four of them were critical.

Photographs broadcast by private channel NTV showed a large three-storey building reduced to its concrete shell, with no walls or windows, and surrounded by grey rubble.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus tweeted that Islamic State, the PKK and Syrian Kurdish YPG militia were attacking Turkey to take advantage of last month’s coup attempt, although he did not specifically refer to the Cizre attack.

Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes launched their first major incursion into Syria on Wednesday in support of Syrian rebels, in an operation President Tayyip Erdogan has said is aimed both at driving Islamic State away from the border area and preventing territorial gains by the YPG.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died since the rebels took up arms in Turkey in 1984.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.