Round-up: At least 6 security personnel killed in attacks in Istanbul, southeast Turkey

ISTANBUL

Turkish special force police officers clear the street during clashes with attackers on August 10, 2015 at the Sultanbeyli district in Istanbul. AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE

1) Car bomb targets police station in Istanbul


A car bomb exploded at around 1 a.m. in front of a police station in Istanbul’s Sultanbeyli district on Aug. 10. One police officer and two assailants were killed, while part of the police station and surrounding buildings collapsed and a fire erupted. (Click here for the story)
A recently founded far-leftist organization called the People’s Defense Unit claimed the attack in a tweet in which it said four of its militants were also killed in the clash. The group came into the public spotlight when it claimed the bombing of Adımlar Magazine in Istanbul on March 25, killing one. The magazine allegedly has close ties with the illegal Turkish Islamist group the Islamic Great East Raiders Front (IBDA-C), has organized campaigns demanding the release of Salih Mirzabeyoğlu, the leader of the group, and supports the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

2) U.S. Consulate in Istanbul attacked


Two attackers opened fire on the U.S. consulate building in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district. Police apprehended one of them after a clash in which a female militant was injured. (Click here for the story) 

The outlawed far-leftist Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) claimed responsibility for the attack with an online statement on Aug. 10. The group also claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara in 2013.


3) Mine hits police car in Şırnak

PKK militants killed four police officers with a mine attack on an armored police vehicle in the southeastern province of Şırnak’s Silopi district on Aug. 10.  Ankara recently launched operations against the PKK, which has killed 24 Turkish security personnel in the last month. (Click here for the story)


4) Military helicopter attacked in Şırnak


PKK militants opened fire on a Skorsky model military helicopter in Şırnak’s Beytüşşebap district on Aug. 10, killing one soldier who had just completed mandatory military service and was returning home. In the aftermath of the attack, Turkish Cobra helicopters began to bombard areas where the PKK militants had fled to in an air-supported operation. (Click here for the story)