This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A car bomb in Turkey that killed 13 soldiers and wounded 55 other soldiers and civilians was planted by the militant Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has claimed.

The explosion came a week after a similar attack killed more than 30 police officers. Television pictures showed the smouldering wreckage of the bus, as the wounded were taken to waiting ambulances.

After Erdoğan’s comments, nationalist protesters on Saturday ransacked the local headquarters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic party (HDP) in Kayseri and several other cities.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest People protest in front of the offices of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic party (HDP) following a suicide car bombing on Saturday in Kayseri. Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images

In a statement, Erdoğan said the “separatist terrorist organisation” the PKK was responsible for Saturday’s attack, linking it to developments in Iraq and Syria. He said that Turkey was under “joint attack” by terrorist organisations.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the bomb exploded at an entrance gate to Erciyes University in Kayseri, hitting a public bus that was carrying soldiers on leave and other passengers.



In a statement, the Turkish armed forces said the car bomb went off at 8.45am and targeted military personnel from the Kayseri Commando Brigade. The wounded were rushed to hospitals in the region. The army said civilians may have also been casualties of the “treacherous attack”.

Associated Press reported Turkish military officials confirming a death toll of at least 13.

The governor of Kayseri, Süleyman Kamçi, said the car bomb exploded beside the bus. “Unfortunately we have martyrs and wounded,” he said in remarks carried by the private Doğan news agency.

The blast is likely to further anger the Turkish public after a string of deadly attacks this year, several of which have been claimed by Kurdish militants, including a twin blast last week in Istanbul that killed 44 and wounded more than 150.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s attack, but the deputy prime minister, Veysi Kaynak, likened it to the twin bombings outside the stadium of the Istanbul soccer team Beşiktaş last week.

Those attacks, which targeted police, were later claimed by an offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers party (PKK).

“The car bomb attack resembles the Beşiktaş attack in terms of its style,” Kaynak told reporters, adding that the attack would not deter Turkey from fighting militancy.

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including spillover from the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria, where it is a member of a US-led coalition against the militant group. It also faces regular attacks from Kurdish militants who have been waging a three-decade insurgency for autonomy in largely Kurdish south-east Turkey.

Speaking about the Kayseri explosion, Kaynak said in remarks broadcast on NTV that “treacherous factions” had taken aim at commandos from the Kayseri Airforce Brigade who had been “training exclusively for the safety of our people”.

Turkey’s prime ministerial office imposed a temporary blackout on coverage of the explosion and urged media to refrain from publishing anything that may cause “fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organisations”.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows aftermath of blast on the bus

A suicide car bomb in central Turkey has killed 13 soldiers aboard a bus and wounded 56 more, officials say.

The blast destroyed the bus carrying soldiers visiting a local market in the city of Kayseri. An army spokesman said civilians may also have been injured.

No group has admitted carrying out the attack, but Turkish officials say it bears the hallmarks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

It comes a week after 44 people were killed in a PKK attack in Istanbul.

Regional governor Suleyman Kamci said the blast in Kayseri, a usually calm industrial hub in Central Anatolia, was carried out by a suicide bomber parked next to the bus near the entrance to Erciyes University. The soldiers were said to be on leave from a nearby military base.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the blast

Images from the scene showed the bus reduced to a smouldering wreck with a massive hole punched in one side.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the materials used were similar to those used in Istanbul.

"All indications at present point to the PKK," he said.

President Tayyip Erdogan said that Kurdish militants were attempting to "trip up Turkey, cut its strength and have it focus its energy and forces elsewhere".

Turkey has suffered a series of fatal bombings in 2016 at the hands of both the Kurdish militants and jihadists.

Can Turkey break the wave of attacks? By Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul

It is now a depressingly familiar cycle for this country: A bombing, followed by promises from the government to eradicate terror and then reprisal attacks against the PKK.

And yet the attacks keep coming - and Turkey keeps grieving. The condemnation after the violence seems frustratingly empty.

How can Turkey break the wave of attacks? Security has been massively increased across Turkish cities - armed police roam the streets and new metal detectors have been put in place.

But in a country of 80 million people, which borders Iraq and Syria and which has faced a decades-long Kurdish insurgency, only better intelligence can really stem this tide.

Turkey's intelligence agency is powerful - and reinforced by its counterparts like the American FBI and the British MI6, which have representatives here. But there are clearly holes that are allowing attackers to slip through the net. And Turkey is paying a heavy price for the failings.

Later on Saturday, a crowd stormed the Kayseri offices of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's second-largest opposition party.

The HDP condemned the bombing in the city and called for an end to "the politics, tone and language that creates tension, polarization, hostility, chaos and conflict".

The government imposed a temporary black-out on media coverage in the wake of the Kayseri blast.

An instruction from the prime minister's office urged the media to refrain from publishing anything that may cause "fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organizations", the Associated Press reported.</s>A car bomb attack on a bus carrying off-duty military personnel killed 13 soldiers and wounded 55 in the central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday, an incident President Tayyip Erdogan blamed on Kurdish militants.

The blast, a week after a twin bombing targeted police in Istanbul, is likely to further outrage a public angered by a series of attacks this year - several claimed by Kurdish militants, others by Islamic State - and a failed coup in July.

It is also likely to increase tension in Turkey‘s mainly Kurdish southeast, where militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have waged a three-decade insurgency that has seen some of its worst fighting in the last year.

“The style and goals of the attacks clearly show the aim of the separatist terrorist organisation is to trip up Turkey, cut its strength and have it focus its energy and forces elsewhere,“ Erdogan said in a statement.

“We know that these attacks we are being subjected to are not independent from the developments in our region, especially in Iraq and Syria.“

Erdogan frequently refers to the PKK as “the separatist terrorist organisation“. The PKK, which wants autonomy for the Kurdish minority, is considered a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.

Turkey, a Nato member and part of the US coalition against Islamic State, has also been angered by Washington‘s backing of the Syrian Kurdish fighters against Islamic State.

Ankara sees the Washington-backed militia as an extension of the PKK and is worried the advance of Kurdish fighters across its borders in Syria and in Iraq, could inflame Kurdish militants at home.

Erdogan confirmed that 13 people had been killed and 55 wounded. All of those killed and 48 of the wounded were off-duty military personnel, according to a military statement.

The bus was stopped at a red light near the campus of Erciyes University in Kayseri when a car approached it and then detonated, broadcaster NTV said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak likened the attack to last Saturday‘s dual bombings outside the stadium of Istanbul soccer team Besiktas, later claimed by a PKK offshoot. Forty-four people died and more than 150 were wounded in that attack.

“The car bomb attack resembles the Besiktas attack in terms of its style,“ he told reporters, adding the incident would not put Turkey off its goal of fighting militancy.

Defence minister Fikri Isik said on Twitter that Turkey would redouble its efforts to fight militancy. “We will fight these cowards with a national mobilisation,“ he said, referring to Erdogan‘s push against militant organisations.

Turkey faces multiple security threats including spillover from the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria.</s>ISTANBUL — A suicide car bomber set off an explosion Saturday that demolished a public bus transporting off-duty soldiers in Turkey's central province of Kayseri, killing 13 troops and wounding 56 other people, authorities said.

Saturday's blast comes a week after a car bomb attack claimed by Kurdish militants killed 44 people, mainly riot police, and wounded over 150 others near a soccer stadium in Istanbul.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the identity of the Kayseri attacker was known and that seven people had been taken into custody in connection with the attack. Police were searching for five others.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the suicide bomber ambushed a commando brigade on weekend leave in the city of Kayseri.

The Turkish army said 48 troops were among the wounded in Saturday's "treacherous attack." The state-run Anadolu Agency said the explosion at the entrance gate to Erciyes University hit a bus transporting off-duty soldiers.

Speaking in Kayseri, Health Minister Recep Akdag told reporters 56 people had been wounded in the attack, including four who were in critical condition.

Images taken moments after the explosion showed a smoking public bus, still in flames, with its windows blown open and its interior blackened.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the statements of top officials suggested suspicion was focused on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which Ankara and the West consider a terrorist organization. Kurdish militants have claimed multiple attacks against soldiers and police across Turkey this year in violence that has also caused many casualties among civilians.

"Turkey is under a combined attack by terrorist organizations, especially the divisive terrorist organization," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Saturday, referring to the PKK.

Turkey has fought the PKK for decades in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The collapse of a two-and-a-half year cease-fire in July 2015 set the stage for a violent new chapter and ushered vast security operations in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast.

Turkey is also at odds with Western-backed Kurdish factions fighting against Islamic State extremists in neighboring Syria and Iraq. Turkey views these groups as extensions of the PKK.

"We know that these attacks we have endured are not unrelated to happenings in Syria and Iraq, or even our economical fluctuations," Erdogan said.

A state of emergency was declared following a botched July 15 coup attempt in Turkey and remains in force. The Turkish government has detained tens of thousands of people and fired tens of thousands of others for alleged ties to a cleric-led movement it says was behind the attempted coup, a claim the group denies.

As usual with attacks in Turkey, the prime ministry office imposed a temporary blackout on coverage of Saturday's explosion and urged media to refrain from publishing anything that may cause "fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organizations."</s>Thirteen soldiers were killed and 48 more were injured when a car bomb hit a bus transporting off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday, one week after a twin bombing targeted police in Istanbul.

The blast is likely to further anger a Turkish public frustrated by a string of deadly bombings this year, several of which have been claimed by Kurdish militants, including last week‘s, which killed 44 and wounded more than 150.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but deputy prime minister Veysi Kaynak likened the attack to last Saturday‘s dual bombings outside the stadium of Istanbul soccer team Besiktas, later claimed by an offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

“The car bomb attack resembles the Besiktas attack in terms of its style,“ he told a group of reporters, adding the incident would not put Turkey off of its goal of fighting militancy.

The military confirmed 13 personnel were killed and 48 wounded and said civilians may also have been injured in the attack. The wounded were transported to hospital for care, it said.

The bus was stopped at a red light near the campus of Erciyes University in Kayseri when a car approached it and then detonated, broadcaster NTV said.

Defence minister Fikri Isik said on Twitter that Turkey would redouble its efforts to fight militancy. “We will fight these cowards with a national mobilisation,“ he said, without elaborating.

Turkey faces multiple security threats including spillover from the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria, where it is a member of a U.S.-led coalition against the militant group.

It also faces regular attacks from Kurdish militants, who have been waging a three-decade insurgency for autonomy in largely Kurdish southeast Turkey.</s>This picture obtained from the Ihlas News Agency shows a police officer and people walking next to the wreck of public bus following an explosion in Kayseri, central Turkey on Saturday.

Thirteen Turkish soldiers were killed and dozens more wounded in a car bombing targeting off-duty conscripts being taken by bus on a weekend shopping trip, the latest in a string of attacks to rock Turkey in recent months.

Forty-eight soldiers were wounded in Saturday's attack in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri, the army said in a statement, adding that there could also be civilian casualties.

Television pictures showed that the bus had been reduced to a smouldering wreck by the impact of the blast, as wounded were taken to waiting ambulances.

The explosion comes a week after 44 people were killed on December 10 in a double bombing in Istanbul after a football match. The attack was claimed by Kurdish militants.

Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said in televised comments that the attack in Kayseri was "unfortunately similar" to last weekend's strikes in Istanbul.

The army said that the bus — carrying low-ranking privates and non-commissioned officers — was attacked after leaving the commando headquarters in the city.

The bus was owned by the municipal transport authorities in Kayersi but was transporting the soldiers who had taken permission to go to a local market for the day, the Dogan news agency said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been informed of the attack by the chief of staff General Hulusi Akar, Anadolu added.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was on his way to the city, it said.

Turkey has seen a spate of deadly bombings in a bloody 2016 blamed both on jihadists and Kurdish militants that have left dozens dead and put the country on daily alert.

In June, 47 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport, with authorities blaming the Islamic State group.

Another 57 people including 34 children were killed in August in a suicide attack by an IS-linked bomber at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.

Kurdish militants have twice struck with bombings that killed dozens in Ankara in February and March.

The attacks have come with the civil war still raging in neighbouring Syria, where Turkey is staging its own incursion to force jihadists and Kurdish militia from the border area.

Turkey is also still reeling from a failed July 15 coup blamed on the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his alleged supporters from all state institutions.

One of the main cities of central Turkey, Kayseri is a key industrial hub with a population of over one million and usually seen as a peaceful area.

It is well west of the southeast of the country that has been hit by months of deadly fighting between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the security forces.

There was no immediate indication of who was behind the latest attack.

The government slapped a temporary broadcast ban on footage of the attack, as is becoming typical in the aftermath of major incidents in the country.

The Turkish military has stepped up operations against the PKK after a fragile ceasefire broke down in the summer of 2015. Since then, there has been a dramatic surge in violence that shows no sign of ending.

Last week's double bombing in Istanbul, which targeted police after a match of the Besiktas football club, was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) seen as a radical offshoot of the PKK.

The attack in Istanbul prompted a sharp response from Erdogan, who vowed Ankara would "fight the scourge of terrorism right to the end".

"They should know that they will not get away with it ... They will pay a heavier price."</s>Thirteen soldiers were killed and 48 others wounded in a blast in the Turkish city of Kayseri, according to a statement released by Turkey's Armed Forces. The statement adds that civilians might also have been wounded in the blast.

A car bomb exploded near a public bus in Turkey on Saturday, killing and wounding several people, according to the country's Anadolu state news agency.

A vehicle rigged with a bomb exploded next to the bus -- which was transporting off-duty soldiers, the news agency reported. The blast happened near Erciyes University in the central province of Kayseri, according to a tweet from Anadolu.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım are being briefed on the situation, according to the news agency. More than 25 people were wounded, Reuters reported. Immediately after the blast, at least a half dozen ambulances arrived on the scene. Images showed people with head wounds and at least one person being taken away on a stretcher. The attack came exactly a week after a pair of bombings in Istanbul killed 44 people, including 37 police officers, and injured 155 others. The two explosions last Saturday occurred after a heavily attended soccer game at Besiktas Vodafone Arena. A Kurdish militant group called the Kurdish Freedom Hawks claimed responsibility for last week's bombings. It stated on its website that the Turkish people were not the target of the attack. The latest violence follows a wave of deadly bombings that have struck Turkey this year.</s>A public bus burns at the scene of a car bomb attack in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri, Turkey, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016.

ISTANBUL — A car bomb blast killed 13 Turkish troops and wounded 55 persons, most of them military personnel, in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri on Saturday morning, according to official figures.

In a statement, the Turkish armed forces said the car bomb went off at 8:45 a.m. and targeted on-leave military personnel from the Kayseri Commando Brigade.

The army said 48 troops were wounded and said that civilian citizens may have also been hurt in the "treacherous act."

Speaking in Kayseri shortly after the blast, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 55 people had been wounded in total and that six were in critical condition.

"We are determined in our fight against terrorism," the minister said.

Speaking alongside him at a joint press conference, Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar vowed to continue the "fight against terrorists inside and outside the country" until "every last terrorist is neutralized."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the car bomb went off at an entrance gate of Erciyes University, hitting a public transportation bus that included on-leave soldiers among its passengers.

Images taken moments after the explosion showed a smoking public bus, still in flames, with its windows blown open and its interior blackened.

The blast comes a week after a car bomb struck riot police posted outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul following a match. That attack killed 44 people, mostly police officers, and wounded scores of others. Kurdish militants, who tend to target military and police, claimed the Istanbul attack.

Turkey is facing a wide range of security challenges including renewed conflict in the predominantly Kurdish southeast. Turkey is a member of NATO and partner in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group, which has been blamed for multiple attacks in Turkey.

A state of emergency was declared following a botched July 15 coup attempt.

Speaking about the Kayseri explosion, Vice Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said in remarks broadcast on NTV that "treacherous factions" had taken aim at commandos from the Kayseri Airforce Brigade, who had been "training exclusively for the safety of our people."

Turkey's prime ministry office imposed a temporary blackout on coverage of the explosion and urged media to refrain from publishing anything that may cause "fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organizations."

Ayse Wieting, Bulut Emiroglu and Neyran Elden in Istanbul also contributed reporting.</s>Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is responsible for a car bomb attack on a bus in the central city of Kayseri that killed 13 people and wounded 55 more, almost all of them soldiers. Scarlett Cvitanovich reports.</s>Civilians may have also been wounded in the blast, according to the Turkish Armed Forces. Of the injured, six people are in critical condition, said Turkey's Health Minister Recep Akdag.

A vehicle rigged with a bomb exploded next to the bus -- which was transporting off-duty soldiers, Anadolu reported. The blast happened near Erciyes University in the central province of Kayseri, according to a tweet from Anadolu.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım are being briefed on the situation, according to the news agency.

A police officer and people walking next to the wreck of public bus following an explosion on December 17, 2016 in Kayseri, central Turkey. A video showed a decimated bus with smoke rising out of the vehicle. Immediately after the blast, at least a half dozen ambulances arrived on the scene. Images showed people with head wounds and at least one person being taken away on a stretcher. The attack came exactly a week after a pair of bombings in Istanbul killed 44 people, including 37 police officers, and injured 155 others. The two explosions last Saturday occurred after a heavily attended soccer game at Besiktas Vodafone Arena. A Kurdish militant group called the Kurdish Freedom Hawks claimed responsibility for last week's bombings. It stated on its website that the Turkish people were not the target of the attack. The latest violence follows a wave of deadly bombings that have struck Turkey this year.
At least 13 people are killed and 56 others are wounded in a car bomb attack on a bus carrying off-duty soldiers in Kayseri Province, central Turkey.