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Police Station Attack in Turkey Kills 3 Children

Police Station Attack in Turkey Kills 3 Children
Police Station Attack in Turkey Kills 3 Children

A bomb attack on a police station in the town of Cinar in southeast Turkey has left six people dead, including three children.

Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the PKK amid fresh violence between the separatists and security forces.

Dogan News Agency reported that clashes between Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants and security forces in the area lasted for 40 minutes after a bomb was detonated at the police station.

“I thought it was an atomic bomb. It threw me to the ground. Then I heard gunfire and I took my children downstairs [to the basement]. We stayed there until we didn’t hear anything outside anymore,” a Cinar resident told AFP.

The blast ripped the facade off the station and damaged a nearby residential building used by police officers and their families.

While Turkish authorities blamed the attack on PKK militants, there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Officials added that they were launching a probe into the attack.

At least 39 people, including six police officers, were injured in the attack.

“I vehemently condemn the attack,” said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a statement.

The attack comes amid an uptick in violence between Turkish forces and the PKK militant group.

Last week, a raid on a home in the eastern Van province left 12 PKK militants dead, marking one of the bloodiest weekends since the conflict reignited in July following a nearly three-year truce, according to Turkish media.

However, Turkish human rights activists claimed on social media that the militants were executed.

On Sunday, the Turkish Army said it has killed 448 members of the PKK since mid-December. The conflict has left more than 40,000 dead since it erupted in 1984.

Financialtribune.com