Roadside bomb injures 5 policemen in southeast Turkey

At least five Turkish police officers sustained injuries when a bomb explosion ripped through their patrol vehicle in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sirnak.

Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had planted a bomb on the highway linking the districts of Idil and Cizre in the same province, and set it off as the police car passed by on Monday.

The sources added that the injured policemen were transported to the state hospital in Idil to receive medical treatment.

The development came three days after 24 people, including 10 policemen, were injured in a bomb attack on a police bus in Turkey’s southeastern province of Mardin.

Security sources said PKK fighters had planted a bomb at an overpass, and detonated it when the bus passed through.

On August 27, at least five people, including four Kurds, were killed in clashes between PKK militants and Turkish security forces in the Cizre district of Sirnak Province.

Turkey has been launching airstrikes against purported Daesh targets in Syria as well as PKK positions in Iraq, after a Daesh bomb attack on July 20 left 32 people dead in the the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc, which lies across the border from the northern Syrian town of Kobani.

The PKK later killed two Turkish police officers, saying they had been collaborating with Daesh.

A shaky ceasefire that had stood since 2013 was declared as null by the PKK following the Turkish airstrikes against the group, narrowing chances of the two sides to reach a deal in the near future.

Reports say over 60 Turkish soldiers have been killed in clashes with PKK militants over the past weeks.

Some observers have expressed doubt about Turkey’s intentions in the airstrikes. They say Ankara, which already stands accused of having supported Daesh, cannot be serious in the fight against the terrorist group.