Bomb blast in southeastern Turkey pinned on PKK

SIX people have been killed and at least forty injured in a car bomb explosion today,  January 14 at the entrance to the police headquarters in the ancient city of Diyarbakir.  

No group has accepted responsibility for the attack, which also caused damage to residential buildings, but officials believe the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is to blame. 

Ethnic tension has gripped the province, which borders Syria, since a previously agreed ceasefire between the Turkish army and the PKK, collapsed in July 2015. 

The separatist group has fought for self-determination for more than 20 years and is also a key player in the war against Daesh, contributing to the expulsion of their militants from key strongholds in northern Iraq and along the Syrian / Turkish border. 

Despite their efforts, however, the militant group is considered to be a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its western allies.

As part of a US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq, Turkey has joined air strikes against Daesh militants, but stands accused of deliberately bombing PKK bases in northern Iraq during those missions, angering Kurds and raising questions about how international efforts can best be coordinated.