"A bomb left in a car was set off with a remote control," Diyarbakir
Gov. Huseyin Avni Mutlu said. "It was a very strong one. It was targeting a
military service bus."
Officials said around 70 others, including 30 soldiers, were injured in
the car bombing. They said the car bomb exploded outside a luxury hotel in
Diyarbakir.
"Unfortunately, terrorism showed its bloody face once more in
Diyarbakir," Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said. "Such events will not
disrupt our determination against terrorism. Our struggle both on
international and national levels will continue with the same
determination."
This was the first major purported PKK attack since the Turkish military
began pounding northern Iraq in December 2007. Over the last month, the
Turkish military has conducted three air strikes, artillery barrages and
infantry operations against suspected PKK strongholds in Iraq's Kandil
mountains.
Officials said the PKK was believed to have detonated two bombs in
Istanbul in late December. No one claimed responsibility for those attacks.
Minutes after the car bombing, Turkish F-16s flew from the Diyarbakir
air base toward Iraq. There was no report of an immediate air attack in
Iraq.
"Todays bombing in Diyarbakir is a horrific example of the senseless
tragedy that terrorism brings," the U.S. embassy in Ankara said. "We
strongly condemn this violence and reiterate our determination to stand
together with Turkey in combating terrorism in all its forms."
