Twelve dead in eastern Turkey blasts

At least 12 people have been killed and 219 wounded in three bomb attacks in Turkey’s southeast.

Blasts at police stations in Van and Elazig killed four police officers and two civilians, reports BBC online.

Five soldiers and a village guard died when their vehicle was targeted in Bitlis province.

Turkish officials blamed the Kurdish militant group, the PKK, for the attacks, which took place outside Kurdish majority areas in the region.

‘Our fight against terror will never cease,’ said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The PKK has carried a series of bombings targeting the police in the largely Kurdish south-east since a ceasefire with the government broke down last year.

Last week, PKK commander Cemil Bayik threatened increased attacks against police in Turkish cities.