Explosion at police compound in Turkey’s Diyarbakir injures at least four

A massive blast on Tuesday targeted a police compound in the Kurdish province of Diyarbakir in the southeast of Turkey, injuring several people.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – A massive blast on Tuesday targeted a police compound in the Kurdish province of Diyarbakir in the southeast of Turkey, injuring several people.

Following the explosion, thick smoke rose from the site.

According to locals, the sound of the blast was very powerful and terrifying, but the cause was not immediately clear.

Police sources stated the explosion took place in the vehicle repairing section of the compound which caused considerable damage to the surrounding buildings, according to the Kurdistan24 correspondent in Diyarbakir Hassan Kako.

The explosion was at the center of the populated district of Baglar, a place that has often been targeted by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The violence took place at a time where the country has planned to hold a referendum on Sunday to change the ruling system from parliamentary to presidential in an aim to empower Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The constitutional change is widely opposed by many of the Kurdish populated areas in the southeast of the country.

Diyarbakir has experienced continuous violence and instability since July 2015, following the end of a ceasefire between both the Turkish government and PKK.

The PKK has been labeled a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the US.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany