24 Apr 2024
Friday 14 October 2016 - 22:28
Story Code : 235127

Rockets hit Turkish resort of Antalya amid hefty tourism drop

At least tworockets have hit the southern Turkish holiday resort region of Antalya as the country'stourismindustry experiencesdramaticdrop intouristarrivals.

The rockets,fired by unknown assailants,strucka fish store and open ground near a resorttown in the province of Antalya in southern Turkey on Friday, according to the Turkish Dogannews agency.

The report added that the rockets were fired from a mountainous area atthe highway between the city of Antalya and the resort town ofKemer.

Sources said special forces police and ambulances have beendispatched to the area.

No group or individual has yet claimed responsibilityfor the attack.

However, Kurdish and far-left militants have staged similar attacks in the past,mostly against the security forces.At least three Turkish soldiers were injured in an armed attack ontheir military vehicle near Antalya in August.

The province of Antalya is located next to the popular tourist areas of Marmaris and Bodrum, and just north of Cyprus. Situated on the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast, the Antalya region is one of Turkey's most popular tourist destinations.

Touristnumbershave plunged asa series of bombings, afailed coup in July, and tensions with Russiahave kept visitors away.

The number offoreign visitors to Turkey dropped 38 percent in August and reports say the tourism industry is set to see billions of dollars in lostrevenuesthis year.

Ankara saw a decline in the number of Russian tourists following Turkeys November shooting of a Russian bomber on the Syrian border.

The country has witnessed rising insecurity over the past few monthsover deadly bomb attacks.

Turkey has witnessed at least five major bombing attacks since July last year, when it launched a military campaign against militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the southeastern border areas.

Ankaras intensified crackdown on Kurdish militants and the retaliatoryattacks on security personnel and civilians has created major security setbacks for the country. Attacks havealso been carried out by Daesh, the terror groupwreaking havoc in neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Several countries also put a ban on travel agencies organizingtrips to Turkey due to security concerns following the failed July 15 coup attempt in the country.

Turkey says tourism brought in almost $31.5 billion in revenues in 2015. The government has launched a series of initiatives to limit the losses inflicted on the industry.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Soldiers carry a picture and the coffin of Tolga Aktas, a soldier who was killed during clashes with Kurdish militants in the Turkish eastern province of Hakkari, at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara on September 6, 2016. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]

Three soldiers killed in Turkey'ssoutheast

At least three soldiers travelling in a military personnel carrier were killed in a roadside bomb attack in southeastern Turkey on Friday.

The Anadolu Agency, citing unnamed security officials, said a bomb exploded on a highway linking the provinces of Mardin and Diyarbakir.

PKK militants were suspected of having planted the bomb on the road.

Ankara has been engaged in a large-scale anti-PKK campaign in its southern border region over the past few months. The Turkish military has also been pounding the groups positions in northern Iraq in breach of the Arab countrys sovereignty.

By Press TV
https://theiranproject.com/vdcj8ie8auqetvz.92fu.html
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