As if the recent marked increase in clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) wasn't troubling enough, the roadside bombing today of a minibus in Istanbul carrying military personnel could present a very dangerous development.
The bombing took the life of four, including the 17-year-old daughter of an officer. According to the Turkish officials, the bomb was set off by remote control as it was passing by. A similar attack took place in Istanbul a few weeks ago, when a minibus carrying policemen was attacked by a roadside bomb.
In a speech in parliament, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected calls for reinstating emergency rule in the predominantly-Kurdish southeast of Turkey for the government to back off its "democratic initiative," aimed at ending the decades-old Kurdish problem.
"We did not launch the democratic initiative for the terrorist organization. Giving up on the democratic drive is a betrayal to the people of this country. We will not give any concessions on democracy, otherwise terror will prevail," Erdogan said.
Some 12 Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with the PKK over the weekend.
UPDATE: Responsibility for the bombing is now being claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a shadowy and militant PKK offshoot. TAK was allegedly behind a series of bombings in 2006 in some of Turkey's most popular coastal destinations, although the group's origins and makeup remain very murky. More on the group here.
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