Military convoy escapes bomb attack in eastern Turkey

BİTLİS - Hürriyet Daily News

DHA photo

A bomb went off today morning near the village of Aşağı Kolbaşı in the Güroymak district of the eastern province of Bitlis, shortly after a military convoy had passed. No casualties were reported.

The bomb exploded at around 11:30 a.m. on the Güroymak-Bitlis road, 10 kilometers to Güroymak. While the military convoy was proceeding to Güroymak, a bomb placed in a vent hole was set off with a remote control. However, because it went off after the convoy had passed, there were no casualties. An air-backed operation was launched in the region to find the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members who escaped after the blast, and the road was blocked off by security forces.

The convoy was heading toward Güroymak to take security precautions in the town, where the opening of a park and a concert had been scheduled. The co-president of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Selahattin Demirtaş was scheduled to participate in both events, the office of the government said in a written statement.

Meanwhile, a car bomb was also spotted near a police station on the Tunceli-Pülümür road. Security teams were rushed to the scene to defuse the bomb. Also, on roads leading to the Gökçek and Şehit Mehmet gendarmerie stations in Tunceli province two separate 100-kilogram bombs were spotted by security forces and defused.