A bomb exploded near a police station in Cizre in Turkey’s southeastern Şırnak province on Friday morning killing at least 11 police officers and injuring more than 70 others, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.
The explosion occurred at 6:40 a.m and targeted a police checkpoint 50 meters from a riot police station. It caused extensive damage to the building.
RTÜK, Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council, banned all broadcasts about the attack.
The HPG, the armed wing of the outlawed Kurdish PKK claimed the blast, adding that a detailed statement would be issued on Saturday.
The predominantly Kurdish city of Cizre has suffered greatly since the breakdown of the ceasefire between the Turkish government and the PKK in July 2015. During a three-month curfew between December 2015 and February 2016 there were many reports of human rights abuses. Up to 178 people were killed in February 2016 after fire gutted three basements where they were sheltering, an incident Kurds have blamed on Turkish security forces.
#HPG takes responsibility for today's action against police HQ and checkpoint in #Cizre. Detailed statement will be published tomorrow (ANF)
— Cahida Dêrsim (@dersi4m) August 26, 2016
Aftermath of car bombing near riot police HQ in Cizre, eastern Turkey: pic.twitter.com/lVwcW9gcnv
— Benjamin Harvey (@BenjaminHarvey) August 26, 2016
