An explosion in the center of Diyarbakır in Turkish Kurdistan—timed to the very second a military vehicle was driving by—killed five and wounded at least 52 Jan. 3. Many of the wounded were soldiers, but the five dead were civilians, and some are said to have been children. The explosion occurred in a parking lot between the five-star Dedeman Hotel and the Galleria Shopping Center at 4:55 PM. Authorities blame the blast on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), with police searching for two PKK suspects. Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir, of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), said the attack was “unacceptable,” adding: “I condemn it no matter who the perpetrator was. I hope this is the last one.” The pro-PKK Fırat news agency reported that PKK leaders in Iraq have declared Turkey’s cities to be targets in retaliation for Turkish attacks on guerilla bases. (Zaman, Turkish Daily News, Jan. 3)
See our last post on Turkey and the struggle for Kurdistan.
