Bomb attack in Turkey targets police van, injuring 9

A bomb exploded on a highway in Turkey as a van carrying police officers drove past on Friday, injuring nine of its passengers, government officials said.

Two people were detained in connection with the attack, which occurred near the predominantly Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

The bomb was placed inside a parked vehicle near a market selling livestock, according to the Diyarbakir governor’s office.

Eight police officers and a civilian were taken to hospitals as a precaution but were not in serious condition, it said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Kurdish militants have been behind similar attacks in the region in the past. Islamic and leftist extremists have also carried out bombings in the country.

Last month, a bomb blast in a bustling pedestrian street in Istanbul left six people dead, including two children. More than 80 others were wounded.

Turkey blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as well as Syrian Kurdish groups affiliated with it. The Kurdish militant groups denied involvement.

The PKK has fought an armed insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.