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Turkey attacks: three soldiers and a police officer killed | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Three soldiers and a police officer have been killed in south-eastern Turkey in suspected attacks by Kurdish militants. | |
The soldiers were targeted in a rocket attack on Sunday morning in the town of Nusaybin, the Turkish army said in a statement. Fourteen others were wounded. | |
The police officer was killed in a second attack in which as many as 23 other people were also injured when a vehicle packed with explosives blew up outside the police headquarters in Gaziantep, security sources said. | |
NTV television said the explosion was caused by a car bomb and had been followed by sounds of gunfire. Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Gaziantep province, said the wounded included at least nine police officers. | |
Footage from the broadcaster CNN Türk showed pieces of a wrecked vehicle near the building’s gates and several ambulances and fire tenders at the scene. | |
Witnesses said the blast was felt several kilometres away and windows in nearby buildings were shattered. | |
Gaziantep Olay Yeri pic.twitter.com/GwFvlTSpFU | |
Pic from the aftermath of #Gaziantep explosion 20 min ago.A car bomb was detonated infrnt of the municipality bldng pic.twitter.com/wc5qkW8TR6 | |
The police station is close to several government offices, including that of the governor and mayor. The area is normally crowded, but was empty early on Sunday. | |
Police in Ankara carried out anti-terrorism operations overnight and detained four suspected Islamic State members allegedly planning to attack demonstrators observing Labour Day, the state-owned Anadolu Agency reported. | |
Gaziantep is one of the main cities of Turkey’s largely Kurdish south-east and has a population of about 1.5 million. It is also a major hub for refugees who have fled the war in neighbouring Syria. | |
The area and its vicinity have been hit by waves of violence and clashes between government forces and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) since a ceasefire fell apart last July. | |
In the past year, more than 200 people across Turkey have been killed in seven suicide bombings, including an attack this week in the north-western city of Bursa, which killed the bomber and wounded 13 people. | |
Security was stepped up on Sunday as Turkish leftist and labour activists prepare to celebrate May Day, an event that often ends in clashes with security forces. It has been reported that demonstrations in the city were cancelled for security reasons. |