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Turkish Police Officers Killed in Bomb Attack

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Security officers and firefighters work moments after an explosion outside the Police headquarters in Gaziantep, Turkey, May 1, 2016.
Security officers and firefighters work moments after an explosion outside the Police headquarters in Gaziantep, Turkey, May 1, 2016.

A car bomb explosion outside police headquarters in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep has killed at least two police officers and wounded at least 22 other people, a local governor said.

Turkish media quoted Gaziantep regional governor Ali Yerlikaya as saying many of those wounded in Sunday's blast are police officers.

Video footage shown on NTV - a private media organization - showed the chaotic aftermath of the explosions outside the police building as bystanders looked on at broken glass and debris, and ambulances raced to the scene.

Gaziantep is the sixth largest city in Turkey with a population of 1.5 million and is located about 55 kilometers from Islamic State controlled territory along the Syrian border. The city serves as a major hub for refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

While there was no immediate indication as to who carried out the attack, jihadists have already carried out two similar attacks in Istanbul this year.

Some material for this report came from AP and AFP.

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