Skip to main content

Turkish soldiers killed in car bombing in Diyarbakir province

More than 50 people wounded in attack on southeastern military outpost blamed by Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu on PKK
People walk past destroyed vehicles as they leave their houses during clashes in central Diyarbakir on 15 March 2016 (AFP)

Two Turkish soldiers were killed and more than 50 people wounded when a car bomb exploded at a military post in Turkey's restive Kurdish-dominated southeast, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday.

Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has killed hundreds of members of the security forces in a resurgent campaign of violence in the last few months.

Davutoglu denounced the "vile attack" accusing what he termed the "terrorist organisation" of resorting to such attacks whenever it was backed into corner, in reference to the PKK.

The attack late on Monday targeted a military outpost in the Hani district of Diyarbakir province and left 52 people injured, including civilians. 

The security forces launched a search operation to capture those responsible following the bombing, a military source told AFP.

Turkey has waged an offensive against the PKK after the collapse in 2015 of a two-year ceasefire declared by the group which has fought against the Turkish state lasting more than three decades.

The renewed conflict has also struck at the heart of the country, with two attacks that killed dozens of people in the capital Ankara claimed by Kurdish rebels. 

A radical PKK splinter group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for the two suicide car bombings in Ankara on February 17 and March 13.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 demanding a homeland for Turkey's biggest minority. Since then, the group has pared back its demands to focus on cultural rights and a measure of autonomy.

Stay informed with MEE's newsletters

Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked

 
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.