[QODLink]
Europe
Eleven hurt in election day blast in Turkey
Percussion bomb explodes in southeastern province, amid celebrations at success of Kurdish candidates in Sunday's vote.
Last Modified: 13 Jun 2011 11:32
Six of the casualties were seriously injured, according to hospital officials


An explosion in southeastern Turkey has injured 11 people as they were celebrating the success of Kurdish candidates in parliamentary elections.

Sunday's blast, in the eastern province of Sirnak, on the Iraqi border, was caused by a percussion bomb, security officials said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Six of the casualties were seriously injured, according to hospital officials. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the blast.
 
Independent candidates representing the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) won 36 seats in the Kurdish-majority southeast.

BDP supporters also clashed with police in Diyarbakir, the main city in the southeast, after police said crowds had pelted the local headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with stones.

Police responded with tear gas.

Unrest is common in southeastern Turkey where separatist fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have waged a decades-old campaign against Turkish rule.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Topics in this article
Country
Organisation
Featured on Al Jazeera
Murder of Somali draws ire of foreign African nationals over rising xenophobic violence.
We look at the impact of increased sanctions against the Islamic Republic and ask who it really affects.
Tupamaros enforce rough justice in Venezuela's slums to support socialism, but critics say the group are violent thugs.
More than a decade ago the US launched a war against Afghanistan, but was it a justified battle?
Featured
Syria's War
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
Turkey Protests
Extensive coverage of political unrest that spread from Istanbul to other areas.
Obama's scandal
Revelations over NSA spying are threatening president's European trip.
Farming in Greece
Some urbanites are returning to their rural roots to farm the land.
People 'without'
Kuwait's 'Bidoon' have been stripped of rights and treated as second-class citizens.
join our mailing list