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Turkey attacks: three soldiers and a police officer killed Turkey car bomb attacks: two police officers killed and 18 people wounded
(about 1 hour later)
Three soldiers and a police officer have been killed in south-eastern Turkey in suspected attacks by Kurdish militants. Two police officers were killed and 18 more people wounded in a car bomb attack in the city of Gaziantep in the southeast of Turkey on Sunday morning.
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. Turkish media reports that police have identified at least one of the attackers as Ismail Günes, who is said to have been an Isis member. His father, Süleyman Günes, has been detained for questioning.
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. The daily Hürriyet newspaper reported that the attackers first opened fire on the police from a car before a second vehicle carrying explosives was detonated in front of the police headquarters building. One of the cars is said to have escaped, and security forces have begun a search for the vehicle involved in the attack.
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. Mehmet Erdoğan, Gaziantep MP for the ruling Justice and Development, or AK, party, earlier said that the car bomb could have been in retaliation for a police crackdown on Isis cells and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) in Gaziantep. Both groups have recently been involved in suicide bomb attacks on Turkish soil.
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/wc5qkW8TR6Pic 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. Gaziantep, a city of around 1.5 million inhabitants close to the Syrian border is also home to a large number of Syrian refugees who have fled the violence in their own country. European council president Donald Tusk, European commission vice-president Frans Timmermans and German chancellor Angela Merkel were in the city last week to inaugurate the EU’s new aid programme for Syrians living in Turkey.
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. The police station that was the scene of this morning’s bombing is in proximity to several government office buildings including those of the governor and the mayor. Today’s planned May Day demonstrations in Gaziantep were cancelled due to the potential security threat. CNNTurk reported that May Day events were also cancelled in the cities of Adana and Sanliurfa after intelligence on possible suicide bomb attacks.
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. Gaziantep Olay Yeri pic.twitter.com/GwFvlTSpFU
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. According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, police carried out anti-terrorism raids overnight in the Turkish capital Ankara. Four suspected Isis militants who had allegedly planned to stage attacks during May Day in the city were detained.
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. The Gaziantep attack came just four days after a female suicide bomber injured several people outside the Grand Mosque in Bursa, Turkey’s fourth largest city.
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.