PKK terrorists attacked the police department in the Çınar district of southeastern Diyarbakır province late Wednesday. In the attack carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle, rocket launchers and long-barreled rifles; five civilians, three of them children, and one policeman were killed and 39 others including six policemen were injured.



The force of the blast caused a house close to the police station to collapse.

The attack killed a police officer's wife and their five-month old baby during their stay at the police lodgings, while three people belonging to the same family died inside the collapsed house. Lokman Açıkgöz and his two children named Sadık Efe Açıkgöz (5) and Ecrin Açıkgöz (1) were reported to have been pulled from the wreckage.

Police buildings and public housings near the department have been also damaged. Additional police units and soldiers have been deployed to the district, along with ambulances and search-and-rescue units.

The wounded civilians and policemen have been taken to the state hospital in the district.

The terrorists first exploded the bomb-laden vehicle in front of the entrance of the building and opened heavy fire against security forces. Police immediately retaliated to the attack and launched an extensive operation around the district to capture the terrorists.

Another police station was also attacked with rocket launchers in Midyat town, in the province of Mardin, in what appeared to be a simultaneous assault. No casualties were reported there.

Speaking at an inauguration ceremony for hydroelectric dam projects, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday that security forces are acting carefully to not harm civilians, which slows down the operations of purging the areas of terrorists. "Our duty as the state is to protect lives and property. It's the protection of the generation. What we have said with the reconciliation process meant a democratic opening, national unity and brotherhood project. However, none of them understood this," he said.

The president has also criticized the academics that co-signed a declaration that censured the government for its operations. He said it is rather the people who give the duty of ruling the country, not "the 1,100 so-called intellectuals."

"We are using the authorization that the nation has given. We will use it till the end. There is respect we have for the security of lives and property of our citizens," he said.

Commenting on main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu showing reluctance to stand against PKK terrorism and its activities in urban areas, Erdoğan told him to go dig ditches with the terrorists, whom he had called friends previously.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu strongly condemned the attacks and vowed Turkey would continue its fight against "every kind of terror," in his speech at a technology forum in Ankara.

He reiterated that terror was the "enemy of humanity" and called for a united stance against terrorism. "As Turkey, we will continue our fight against every kind of terrorism. ... While sustaining our fight against terrorism, at the same time, we are resolved to eradicate the resources terrorism feeds on," Davutoğlu added.

Meanwhile, police reportedly detained two suspects on Thursday in connection with the attack.