2 car bombs in eastern Turkey kill 6, wound at least 219

Ankara, Aug 18 (AP) Two car bombings targeted policestations in Turkey, killing at least six people and wounding219 others, officials said today. A car bombing attack on a police station in the easternprovince of Van late Wednesday killed a police officer and twocivilians. At least 73 other people, 53 civilians and 20police officers were wounded, officials said. Authorities blamed that attack on the Kurdistan Workers’Party, or PKK, which has launched a campaign of car bombingstargeting police stations or roadside bomb attacks on policevehicles. Last week, PKK commander Cemil Bayik threatenedincreased attacks against police in Turkish cities. Hours later, another car bombing hit police headquartersin the eastern Turkish city of Elazig early today, killing atleast three police office officers and wounding 146 otherpeople, Gov. Murat Zorluoglu said. At least 14 of them were inserious condition. Mahmut Varol, the deputy mayor for Elazig, told Haber Turktelevision that the explosion occurred on the grounds of thepolice headquarters and caused cars parked nearby to catchfire. Video footage showed a large plume of smoke rising fromthe area. Cars were overturned and the windows of thefour-story building and its wings were blown out. Fighting between the PKK and Turkey’s security forcesresumed last year after a fragile peace process collapsed. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel andthousands of PKK militants have been killed, according tostate-run Anadolu Agency. Human rights groups say hundreds ofcivilians have also died in the clashes. Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflictsince the PKK took up arms for autonomy in southeast Turkey in1984. Turkey and its allies consider the PKK a terroristorganization. Today, authorities imposed a temporary blackout on mediacoverage of the bombing in Elazig, citing "public order andnational security" concerns. Turkey frequently imposes such bans following deadly bombattacks. Thursday’s order asked media organizations to refrainfrom broadcasting and publishing anything that may cause "fearin the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aimsof terrorist organizations." (AP)SUA