Turkish police detain key suspect in deadly bombingApril 2, 2016 - 16:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish authorities on Saturday, April 2 detained a key suspect in a bombing that killed seven people and wounded 23 in the biggest attack of its kind in months in the strife-hit southeast, security sources said, according to Reuters. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for Thursday's bombing in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, one day before Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited the city and outlined plans to confiscate and rebuild a historic neighborhood ruined in clashes since July. Sources said police apprehended a man they believe parked the bomb-laden car and detonated it when a minibus carrying police officers passed it on a busy street. On Friday, authorities arrested nine people in connection with the bombing. Separately, militants late on Friday used a car bomb to strike a military outpost near the town of Kiziltepe by the Syrian frontier. One civilian was killed and 13 people wounded, including three children and two soldiers. A police officer from a combat unit was killed on Saturday in Yuksekova near the Iraqi border, where security forces began operations and imposed a round-the-clock curfew on March 13. The predominately Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey has seen the worst violence in two decades after the PKK abandoned a two-year ceasefire in July and resumed its armed campaign for autonomy. The government says more than 5,000 militants and almost 400 soldiers and police officers have been killed. Opposition parties estimate that between 500 and 1,000 civilians have also been killed in the fighting, largely focused in densely populated urban centers. Photo: Reuters/Stringer Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |