Jan 3, 2008 5:15 pm US/Eastern
Blast In Turkey Kills 5, Injures Dozens
Turkish Authorities Blame Kurdish Militants
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ―
A car bomb targeting soldiers killed five people and wounded 68 -
including 30 troops - on Thursday in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern
city of Diyarbakir, officials said.
A bus carrying the troops was passing a five-star hotel when
suspected Kurdish rebels detonated a remote-controlled car bomb,
authorities said.
Five civilians were killed, including two high school students who
were leaving a building where they were taking courses for university
entrance exams.
Thirty soldiers were among the 68 people wounded, said Diyarbakir
Gov. Huseyin Avni Mutlu, according to the private Dogan news agency.
"A bomb left in a car ... was set off with a remote control. It was
a very strong one. It was targeting a military service bus," Mutlu
said.
Authorities blamed the blast on Kurdish rebels. Police said two
suspects reportedly escaped the scene but authorities denied news
reports that they were captured.
The attack - which shattered the windows of surrounding buildings
and could be heard two miles away - appeared to be in retaliation for
three airstrikes by Turkish warplanes against Kurdish rebel shelters in
northern Iraq last month.
The pro-Kurdish Firat news agency reported the Kurdistan Workers
Party's leaders in Iraq had declared big cities in Turkey targets.
There have been two explosions in Turkey's commercial center,
Istanbul, in the past two weeks, killing one and injuring nine. No one
has claimed responsibility for the attacks but Istanbul Gov. Muammer
Guler blamed Kurdish rebels.
The rebel group, known as the PKK, has battled for autonomy
in southeastern Turkey for more than two decades, a campaign that has
left tens of thousands of dead. The group uses strongholds in northern
Iraq for cross-border strikes.
In October, parliament authorized Turkey's military to strike back at rebels across the border.
Turkish warplanes took off from an air base in Diyarbakir minutes
after Thursday's attack, Firat reported on its Web site. It was not
clear if the jets were on a bombing mission.
The Turkish military claimed it killed up to 175 rebels in the
first air assault Dec. 16, but the PKK denied the figure. Turkey has
carried out the strikes largely based on military intelligence provided
by the United States.
"Today's bombing in Diyarbakir is a horrific example of the
senseless tragedy that terrorism brings," the U.S. Embassy in Ankara
said in a statement. "We strongly condemn this violence and reiterate
our determination to stand together with Turkey in combating terrorism
in all its forms."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also deplored the bombing.
"Unfortunately, terrorism showed its bloody face once more in
Diyarbakir," he said. "Such events will not disrupt our determination
against terrorism. Our struggle both on international and national
levels will continue with the same determination."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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