Turkish officials say a car bomb blast in the western city of Izmir has wounded at least 13 people, mostly police officers.

They say the explosion occurred early Thursday near vehicles carrying police and soldiers.  Television footage showed clouds of dark smoke rising from car wreckage on the scene.

The wounded include seven police officers, three soldiers and three civilians.

The Anatolia news agency quotes the governor of Izmir province, Cahit Kirac, as saying the blast was caused by plastic explosives set off by remote control. 

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkish officials suspect Kurdish rebels are to blame.

The blast comes two days after a suspected suicide bomber wounded at least nine police officers in Turkey's southern Mersin province.

Rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984.  The violence has killed more than 30-thousand people.

Turkey, the United States and the European Union classify the PKK as a terrorist group.

 

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.