ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least five civilians were killed in a roadside bombing in Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey on Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the governor's office.
The victims died after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while travelling through the town of Gulec at 6:30am, according to the statement quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency.
Although no one has claimed responsibility for the blast, authorities have accused the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) of planting the device.
The PKK is an armed group which has fought a decades’ long insurgency against the Turkish state for greater Kurdish political and cultural rights in Turkey, which is home to a substantial Kurdish minority. It considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies.
"Operations have started to identify and capture the perpetrators of the attack," the statement added.
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun condemned the attack, tweeting that Turkey's "fight against terrorism does not slow down, even today."
The perpetrators will be held accountable, he added.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has also condemned the bombing, according to pro-government outlet Daily Sabah.
Turkey routinely launches land and air operations against the group at home, in the Kurdistan Region, and in Iraq’s disputed territories of Shingal and Makhmour. It also attacks Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, accusing them of fostering ties with the PKK.
The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people on both sides, including civilians, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).
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