2008 Diyarbakır bombing
On 3 January 2008, at an estimated local time of 16:50 (14:50 UTC), a car bomb exploded in the city of Diyarbakır in south-eastern Turkey.[1][2]
2008 Diyarbakır bombing | |
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Diyarbakır Province highlighted within Turkey | |
Location | Diyarbakır, Turkey |
Date | 3 January 2008 16:50 – (UTC+2) |
Attack type | Car bombing |
Deaths | 5 |
Injured | 110 |
Target
First reports from the area indicated that the bomb, which exploded in the Dagkapi neighborhood of Diyarbakır on Thursday evening, targeted a military service vehicle that was carrying 46 army personnel as it passed near a school. The district is known to have a heavy Turkish military presence because due a military helicopter base, hospitals and military housings in the area. The explosion could be heard 3 km (two miles) away.[2][3]
The attack occurred during rush hour.
Casualties
According to Bianet 7 people died in the attack, five were children who attended the school beside the site of the bombing.[4] About 110 other people were wounded, eight people seriously.[3]
Perpetrators
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast, but authorities have blamed militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), whom Turkish security forces are fighting both in Turkey and in nearby Northern Iraq. The state Anatolian news agency quoted prosecutors as saying that four people had been detained in connection with the blast. Earlier, security sources said 12 people had been detained.[3] During a manifestation, Sezgin Tanrikulu, the president of the Diyarbakır Bar Association read out a message on behalf of several worker unions, criticizing the violence.[4]
Reaction
References
- Channel 4 news. "20 injured in Turkey Bombing".
- BBC News (2008-01-03). "Four dead in Turkish car blast". Retrieved 2010-01-01.
- Reuters News Agency (2008-01-04). "Turkish army vows bomb attack strengthens resolve".
- "Silent March Against Violence in Diyarbakir". Bianet. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- World Bulletin. "USA condemns Diyarbakir bomb attack".