Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Erdogan pledges probe as Kurds blame police for bookshop bombing

Louis Meixler
Tuesday 22 November 2005 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Turkey's Prime Minister rushed to the largely Kurdish south-east and urged calm yesterday, after weeks of rioting, vowing that his government would investigate charges that security forces, and not Kurdish guerrillas, were behind a recent fatal bombing.

Allegations that undercover police carried out the bombing have sparked street clashes in the south-east and in Kurdish neighbourhoods of Istanbul. Four have died in the violence.

"Hate will not bring anything to us," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a crowd in Semdinli, a poor mountain town near the Iraqi border where the violence started.

"Our government will follow this issue [the bombing] until the end," the heavily-guarded Erdogan said.

Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party announced that tomorrow parliament would discuss tension in the south-east.

The bombing has raised the spectre of summary executions by the security forces, a common practice in the early 1990s when Kurdish rebels controlled huge swaths of the south-east.

Those allegations are especially difficult now. The European Union agreed to start entry talks with Turkey last month and has been highly critical of the country's human rights record.

At least one sergeant from the paramilitary police has been detained in connection with thebombing.AP

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in