PKK terrorist attack damages nursery in eastern Turkey

By Cemal Asan and Mesut Varol

VAN, Turkey

PKK terrorists attacked a kindergarten with improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails in Turkey's eastern Van province on Sunday, a security source said.

No teacher or schoolchildren were present at the time of attack since Sunday is normally an off day at schools in Turkey.

According to the source, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, terrorists detonated their explosives inside the nursery building in the province’s Ipekyolu district.

A large section of the nursery was destroyed, while a fire also broke out after the explosion.

Police later neutralized a bomb found in the schoolyard, the source added.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, over 500 security personnel, including troops, police officers, and village guards, have been martyred, and more than 5,000 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Fatma Bulbul contributed to this report from Istanbul.