Bomb attack targets police vehicle in Istanbul; 5 wounded

ISTANBUL — A bomb attack in Istanbul on Tuesday targeted a vehicle carrying riot police, Turkish state media reports said. The explosion wounded at least five people, the private Dogan News Agency reported.

The blast occurred at a busy intersection near an Istanbul University building in the city’s Beyazit district during the morning rush hour. The state-run Anadolu Agency said several ambulances were sent to the scene.

Nearby buildings and some vehicles were damaged, Anadolu reported.

There was no immediate responsibility claim.

The rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, have been targeting police and military targets since July, when a fragile peace process collapsed. The Islamic State group has also been blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Turkey.

The PKK is fighting for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurds in the southeast of the country. It has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in a conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies.

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