At least 27 people were wounded in a vehicle bomb attack in the Turkish eastern province of Van on September 12, in the first day of Islam’s holy Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported.
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The government has stepped up its military campaign in the restive southeast to eradicate PKK terrorists, who have launched nearly daily attacks since the rupture of a fragile ceasefire past year.
Burhan Kayaturk, a local member of parliament from the AK Party, said the blast had targeted the governing party’s offices.
According to a local media agency, 46 of the wounded were civilians, while two others were police officers. Last week Erdogan said that Turkey is conducting the largest operation in its history against Kurdish militants. Kurdish militants were once again blamed by the Turkish government for carrying out the attack.
Four people, including a deputy mayor, were briefly detained in a minor skirmish outside city hall in the southeastern province of Hakkari.
An earlier statement by the governor’s office alleged the bombers were affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
Turkey’s military said Sunday that its warplanes killed 20 Islamic State group fighters in an attack on targets in northern Syria, while Turkey’s president renewed a pledge to destroy the group. The mayors were reportedly removed over suspected links to militants, but they have accused the government of an “administrative coup” against them.
The HDP decried what it said was an “administrative coup” and said the move was illegal.
The PKK is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the U.S., and Turkey. This news story is related to Latest/149798-Several-hurt-as-blast-hits-eastern-Turkish-city-of-Van/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
“You, as mayors and municipal councils, can not stand up and support terrorist organisations”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated Ankara’s commitment to eliminating the Islamic State group in Syria.
“It is a step taken too late in my opinion”, Erdogan said, as cited by Reuters.
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Twelve of the mayors have been arrested, its statement said.
