Twenty hurt by car bomb near police station in eastern Turkey

Twenty people were wounded when a car bomb exploded near a police station and barracks in Turkey’s eastern province of Van near the Iranian border on Wednesday, Dogan news agency said.

Many police and ambulances were seen rushing to the scene, Dogan said. The blast targeted a station that also serves as a police barracks, it said.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, speaking live on television from Ankara, confirmed there had been an attack on a police station in Van but did not elaborate.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. Kurdish militants frequently target police stations and other security force outposts with car bombs.

Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast has been scorched by violence since a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party fell apart in July last year.