Istanbul bans anti-ISIL demo in wake of Suruc blast
Turkish authorities in Istanbul have refrained from giving the green light for a demonstration planned by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the wake of a bomb blast in Suruc that authorities blamed on the Takfiri ISIL terrorists.
The rally was scheduled to take place on Sunday in protest against ISIL violence following the July 20 bombing in the border town that killed 32 people.
However, the office of Istanbul governor in a statement banned the rally, citing "intense traffic" expected in the city and also "provocations" which could jeopardize security.
The HDP in reaction pledged that its "struggle for peace and democracy will continue."
Turkey has been the scene of several protests since the bomb attack in Suruc, with police forces using water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Many of the demonstrators accuse Turkish authorities of collaborating with ISIL, a claim that Ankara denies.
Following the July 20 blast, violence in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast has also saw an upsurge.
On July 22, two policemen were killed in southeastern Turkey close to the Syrian border, with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) claiming responsibility for the attack. The militant group said it sought revenge for the Suruc attack.
Another policeman was killed in the majority Kurdish city of Diyarbakir the next day.
10 wounded in latest attack on police
Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday that at least 10 policemen were wounded in grenade and bomb attacks and one officer kidnapped in two southeastern Turkish provinces on Friday.
The report blamed the kidnapping on the PKK and said no individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the blasts in Diyarbakir and Hakkari Provinces.
The incidents come as Turkey's military has started air and artillery strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. Police also arrested suspected members of ISIL and the PKK during an operation in Istanbul on Friday.
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