At least 7 killed in suspected Kurdish attacks in southeast Turkey
Policemen and other security personnel accounted for most of the casualties in the bomb blasts.
Seven security personnel were killed in two bomb blasts in Turkey on Thursday. At least 224 others were injured in the attacks that took place in the southeast part of the country within hours of each other, Reuters reported.
Three police officers were killed after a car bomb exploded outside a police station in Elazig city. Of the 217 wounded in this attack, 85 were policemen. A part of the structure was destroyed in the explosion (pictured above). Hours later, three soldiers and a personnel of the military in the village died after a bomb ripped through a security vehicle. Seven other soldiers were injured in the attack in Hizan district.
While no group claimed the blasts, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was definitely behind them. "The terror group has lost its chain of command. Its elements inside [Turkey] are carrying out suicide attacks randomly wherever they get the opportunity," he said, adding that they had raised the alert level.
These explosions took place a day after at least three people were killed and more than 70 injured in a car bomb blast near a police station in Van province. This attack was not claimed by any group either, though Kurdish groups are known to target police stations and barracks with car bombs.