Turkish police detain key suspect in deadly bombingApril 2, 2016 - 16:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish authorities on Saturday, April 2 detained a key suspect in a bombing that killed seven people and wounded 23 in the biggest attack of its kind in months in the strife-hit southeast, security sources said, according to Reuters. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for Thursday's bombing in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, one day before Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited the city and outlined plans to confiscate and rebuild a historic neighborhood ruined in clashes since July. Sources said police apprehended a man they believe parked the bomb-laden car and detonated it when a minibus carrying police officers passed it on a busy street. On Friday, authorities arrested nine people in connection with the bombing. Separately, militants late on Friday used a car bomb to strike a military outpost near the town of Kiziltepe by the Syrian frontier. One civilian was killed and 13 people wounded, including three children and two soldiers. A police officer from a combat unit was killed on Saturday in Yuksekova near the Iraqi border, where security forces began operations and imposed a round-the-clock curfew on March 13. The predominately Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey has seen the worst violence in two decades after the PKK abandoned a two-year ceasefire in July and resumed its armed campaign for autonomy. The government says more than 5,000 militants and almost 400 soldiers and police officers have been killed. Opposition parties estimate that between 500 and 1,000 civilians have also been killed in the fighting, largely focused in densely populated urban centers. Photo: Reuters/Stringer Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |