Syria: Deal agreed to evacuate besieged town near Damascus on August 26
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 26 August 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Syria: Deal agreed to evacuate besieged town near Damascus on August 26, 26 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57db9a5013.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 26, 2016
Smoke rises from buildings at the site of a car bomb explosion near a police facility in Cizre, a town near Turkey's border with Syria.
At least 11 police officers have been killed and 78 others wounded after a car bomb exploded outside a police facility in southeast Turkey.
The blast occurred on August 26 in Cizre, a town near the border with Syria and Iraq that has a largely Kurdish population.
The blast caused extensive damage to the headquarters of the special riot police force in Cizre, with television footage showing plumes of black smoke rising above the town.
Fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the attack – the latest in a string of bombings by the group targeting police or military vehicles and facilities.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed to "destroy the terrorists."
Clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK fighters have increased since a two-and-a-half-year ceasefire collapsed in 2015.
The attack comes two days after Turkey launched its first major offensive in neighboring Syria which authorities said is aimed both at Islamic State (IS) militants and Syrian Kurdish militias with ties to the PKK.
Yidirim denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurds rather than militants.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
