PKK terror attack leaves 6 dead including baby, 38 injured

PKK terrorists attacked the police department in the Çınar district of southeastern Diyarbakır province late Wednesday.

PKK terror attack leaves 6 dead including baby, 38 injured

In the attack carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle, rocket launchers and long-barreled rifles; five civilians, three of them children, and one policeman were killed and 39 others including six policemen were injured.

The force of the blast caused a house close to the police station to collapse.

The attack killed a police officer's wife and their five-month old baby during their stay at the police lodgings, while three people belonging to the same family died inside the collapsed house. Lokman Açıkgöz, and Sadık Efe Açıkgöz (5), and Ecrin Açıkgöz (1) were reported to have been pulled from the wreckage.

Police buildings and public housings near the department have been also damaged. Additional police units and soldiers have been deployed to the district, along with ambulances and search-and-rescue units.

The wounded civilians and policemen have been taken to the state hospital in the district.

The terrorists first exploded the bomb-laden vehicle in front of the entrance of the building and opened heavy fire against security forces. Police immediately retaliated to the attack and launched an extensive operation around the district to capture the terrorists.

Another police station was also attacked with rocket launchers in Midyat town, in the province of Mardin, in what appeared to be a simultaneous assault. No casualties were reported there.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu strongly condemned the attacks, and vowed Turkey would continue its fight against "every kind of terror", during his speech at a technology forum in Ankara. 

The prime minister reiterated that terror was the "enemy of humanity" and called for a united stance against terrorism. 

"As Turkey, we will continue our fight against every kind of terrorism... While sustaining our fight against terrorism, at the same time, we are resolved to eradicate the resources terrorism feeds on," Davutoğlu added.

Meanwhile, two suspects were reported to have been detained on Thursday by the police in connection with the attack. 

The Turkish government has intensified its counterterror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the EU and Turkey.

Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish government for an independent state until the early 2000's. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of Turkey.

Source: Daily Sabah

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