Blast targeting police in southeast Turkey kills 4 officers

ISTANBUL – A roadside bomb in a pre-dominantly Kurdish city in southeast Turkey on Monday killed four policemen and wounded two others, according to the state-run news agency.

Anadolu Agency said the explosion occurred near Dicle University in the Sur district of Diyarbakir province. The report blamed the attack on militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK.

The private Dogan news agency broadcast footage showing ambulances, a firetruck and security forces deployed at the scene of the blast.

The wounded were taken to Dicle University’s Medical Faculty Hospital, Anadolu reported.

The office of Diyarbakir’s governor gave the same death toll for the afternoon explosion. In a statement, it offered condolences to the families of the officers who died and said an investigation was underway to find those responsible.

Turkey’s southeast has witnessed renewed conflict between state security forces and Kurdish militants that has left thousands dead in the last year.

The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency and is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its allies, including the United States.

In the past year, Turkey has endured more than 30 major violent attacks linked to the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

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