At least three people were killed and seven others were injured in a car bombing at a police station in southeastern Turkey Saturday, according to state-run news agency Anadolu.
A security source and local officials said the blast in Mardin was the work of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Anadolu reported.
“Mardin governorship said in a statement that two Turkish soldiers were martyred and one female civilian was killed when a PKK car bomb exploded at Cevizlik gendarmerie station. Seven people were injured — three critically — in the attack,” the agency reported.
The bombing comes just weeks after ISIS carried out a major attack on Istanbul’s main airport that left 44 people dead.
The PKK, which seeks an independent state in Turkey, has been in an armed struggle with Ankara for decades and has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and EU. The group claims to represent Turkey’s largest ethic group, the Kurds, who make up an estimated 20% of the population.
The PKK has claimed responsibility for attacks on military and police targets in the past. It generally does not target civilians.
A peace process crumbled last year, leading to fresh clashes in a number of different towns and cities in southeastern Turkey, with Turkish security forces imposing controversial curfews on predominantly Kurdish cities, contributing to a spike in tensions.
