Thursday, September 16, 2010

Turkish explosion kills bus passengers

At least eight people were killed and three were wounded today when an explosion ripped apart the minibus they were travelling in in south-east Turkey, local officials said.

The blast occurred near the village of the Gecitli in Hakkari province, near the borders with Iraq and Iran.

Resul Kaya, the mayor of the nearby town of the Durankaya, said nine people died when the bus hit a landmine. Security officials said it was a remote-controlled explosive device left in the road.

Officials earlier said that at least 10 people had died. The Hakkari governor's office put the death toll at eight.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants have frequently carried out similar attacks in the past. However, such attacks are generally on military targets and the separatist PKK declared a ceasefire last month, which is not due to expire until 20 September.

Before that ceasefire there had been a rise in violence between the military and the rebels since June when the PKK ended a previous 14-month unilateral ceasefire.

Several thousand PKK guerrillas are based in the mountains of the northern Iraq, from where they regularly launch raids in south-east Turkey.

The group took up arms against Turkey in 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died in the fighting.


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