Turkish police tear-gas activists at Ankara bomb protest

Media captionTurkish police fired pepper spray as activists gathered

Turkish authorities in Ankara have used tear gas to disperse pro-Kurdish activists marking a suicide bomb attack a year ago in which 103 people died.

Police allowed only victims" relatives to visit the scene of the attack.

The bombing, blamed on jihadist group Islamic State (IS), targeted a peace rally involving large numbers of Kurdish activists.

Violence between Kurdish militants and Turkish forces has escalated dramatically in the past year.

A ceasefire broke down in July 2015 after an IS bomber killed dozens of young activists in the predominantly Kurdish south-east.

Although Turkey"s main cities have seen Kurdish militant attacks in the past, the scale of the double bombing near Ankara station on 10 October 2015 was unprecedented.

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No-one has so far been put on trial for planning the attack, in which almost 400 people were wounded. There have since been several attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, blamed on IS as well as Kurdish militant groups.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Pepper spray was aimed at activists as clashes began in the centre of Ankara

As dozens of activists headed to the scene of the double bombing, close to Ankara"s main station, they were barred by police who used tear gas to hold them back.

A small crowd of relatives threw red carnations over photos of those who died. However, clashes between activists and police continued, and water cannon were used to disperse the protesters.

Officials said bottles and stones were thrown at police and Turkey"s Anadolu news agency said 60 people were detained.

There were fears at the weekend that militants were planning an attack in the capital. Two bombers blew themselves up outside Ankara when approached by police.

Tensions are also high in Kurdish-dominated areas of Turkey.

A bomb attack at a checkpoint in the far south-eastern town of Durak on Sunday claimed the lives of 10 soldiers and eight civilians.

Turkey says more than 600 security forces have died since the ceasefire collapsed. The military said on Monday that 417 Kurdish militants had been killed and dozens more captured in the past six weeks alone.

Original Article

Turkish police tear-gas activists at Ankara bomb protest
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