Thirteen soldiers were killed and 56 others wounded when a suicide car-bomb hit a bus in central Kayseri province on Saturday, Anadolu reported, citing Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Twelve victims are in intensive care, four remain in critical condition
Turkey’s Supreme Board of Radio and Television imposed a temporary ban on media coverage of the Kayseri blast, which includes a live broadcast from the scene, footage taken from the time of the blast and afterwards, and images of bodies.
According to Soylu, seven suspects have been detained in connection with the attack, as security forces are searching for five others.
According to an earlier statement issued by the Turkish General Staff, the suicide car targeted a public bus carrying off-duty troops near Erciyes University campus at 8:45 AM.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu condemned the terror attack on his Twitter account, offering his condolences to the families of the victims and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar told Anadolu Agency that “the Turkish army is determined to combat terrorists until the last terrorist is neutralized.”
Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak compared the incident to the Dec.10 twin bombings in Istanbul, which killed 44 people, including several police officers.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, phoned the prime minister and offered his condolences over the attack.