Turkish policeman killed by bomb

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A policeman has been killed and several people injured by a bomb attack in south-east Turkey.

A suspected grenade was thrown at a police vehicle in Diyarbakir, a city with a large Kurdish population.

The attack came as Turkish warplanes and helicopter gunships bombed suspected positions of Kurdish rebels near the Turkish-Iraqi border.

On Tuesday, the Turkish prime minister said he was preparing for a military strike against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under pressure to act from a Turkish public outraged by rebel attacks that have killed 15 soldiers since Sunday.

Wednesday's attack struck a bustling market packed with people shopping before a festival to mark the end of Ramadan is held on Friday.

Pressure to act

Diyarbakir is the largest city in Turkey's restive southeast.

White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told the BBC the US understands Turkish concerns about the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is believed to be behind the attacks.

But the US has warned Turkey against making an incursion into northern Iraq, where many of the rebels are believed to be holed up.

Correspondents say there are fears both in Baghdad and Washington that a military operation by Turkey could destabilise northern Iraq.

Turkey holds the PKK responsible for the deaths of 30,000 people since 1984, when the group took up arms for a Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey.