Turkish officials say at least six people have been killed and scores wounded when two auto bombs exploded in the eastern part of the country. While they seemed to have slowed down following a failed military coup in the country on July 15, PKK commander Cemil Bayik warned of a rise in attacks last week.
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And on Wednesday night, two policemen and a civilian were killed and dozens wounded in another vehicle bombing in Van, which has a mixed ethnic Kurd and Turkish population.
The bombing was the second in less than 24 hours targeting police in eastern Turkey.
At least 73 other people – 53 civilians and 20 police officers – were wounded, officials said.
Deputy Mayor Mahmut Varol told Haber Turk television by telephone Thursday that the explosion occurred on the grounds of the Elazig police headquarters.
Guests were celebrating at a Kurdish wedding when a huge bomb went off in Eastern Turkey.
In July a year ago Turkey began bombing Kurdish militants based over the border in Iraq, seemingly ending all prospects of peace, and shortly afterwards the militants resumed attacks inside Turkey.
The force of the blast blew out nearby cars, uprooted trees and left a large crater outside the building.
Mahmut Varol, the deputy mayor of Elazig, said vehicles in front of the building had been burned due to the detonation of a auto bomb.
Daily attacks on security forces by Kurdish insurgents have since erupted.
The Turkish government said the attacks were carried out by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.
The Turkish government regularly imposes media blackouts after acts of terrorism.
First, a village guard was killed and a soldier was wounded in clashes between security forces and PKK militants in the village of Nazar, state news agency Anadolu reported.
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The ban requested that media to keep from publishing anything that could incite “fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organizations”.
