Car bomb kills police in Kurdish Diyarbakir, Turkey, day before PM visit

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 31 (UPI) -- A car bomb detonated Thursday near a bus stop in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, killing at least four police officers.

The attack took place as a police vehicle was passing by the bus stop. Several police officers were taken to a local hospital, with up to 14 people injured.

The bombing took place one day before Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was scheduled to visit the city.

The mainly Kurdish city in southeast Turkey has been under siege after months of fighting between security forces and the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. A cease-fire between the government and the PKK collapsed in July.

Earlier this year, at least six people, including a mother and her 5-month-old baby, were killed in a blast in Diyarbakir. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the PKK was suspected.

The PKK and the Turkish government have been fighting since 1984, first over Kurdish independence, though more recently for greater autonomy and rights.