ISTANBUL – A car bomb in the heart of Istanbul exploded during rush hour and killed 11 people, local officials said Tuesday morning, marking the latest in a string of attacks that have hit Turkey’s largest city in recent months.
The bomb was remotely detonated as a van carrying riot police drove by, the Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said, adding that seven of the dead were police officers. Four civilians were also killed, and another 36 people wounded, officials said.
The blast took place near Istanbul University, in an area not far from major tourist attractions, but appeared to target security forces. Officials cancelled the university’s exams on Tuesday, local media reported. It is the fourth bombing in Istanbul this year, causing a major drop in tourism.
Police cordoned off the area, but images published by Turkish media showed charred vehicles and a leafy street littered with debris. The police vehicle targeted in the blast had flipped over and appeared to be completely destroyed by the bomb.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited a hospital treating the wounded, and vowed to continue to fight against terrorism.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Turkey is battling both Kurdish militants and extremists from the Islamic State group.
Turkish forces are fighting with Kurds in the country’s southeast, and Kurdish guerrilla fighters have also staged attacks in Istanbul, often against military and security targets. In February, a group calling itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on Turkish military vehicles in the capital, Ankara, killing 29.
Earlier this year, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for two suicide bomb attacks on tourists in Istanbul, including outside the city’s famed Blue Mosque.
Turkey has also shelled Islamic State positions in Syria, and also carried out airstrikes on fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq. The PKK has waged a decades-long war with Turkey to secure autonomy for the country’s ethnic Kurdish population.
The conflict reignited when a ceasefire broke down last year. Since then, scores of people have died in the violence. Last month, the United Nations human rights chief accused Turkey of committing grave human rights violations against civilians in its military operations against the Kurds.
