Roadside bomb kills 7 in Turkey

A roadside bomb exploded in eastern Turkey on Tuesday, killing 7 people, including 5 police officers.

The bomb struck a police vehicle on a main road in the province of Bitlis. Two civilians, including a child, were among the dead.

Local authorities suspect the explosive was detonated by remote control, targeting a police vehicle.

The provincial governor said bomb fragments and cables were found at the site.

Kurdish separatists are believed to have carried out a series of terrorist attacks in Turkey since July. A car bomb attack in the capital, Ankara, last month killed 3 civilians and wounded 15 others.

Turkish media report that a Kurdish group may be behind the latest attack.

The Turkish military has been carrying out cross-border retaliatory air raids on Kurdish separatist targets in northern Iraq. But the separatists are stepping up their counterattacks against the Turkish police and military.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 09:39 +0900 (JST)