15 wounded in Istanbul blast

Fifteen people were wounded in an explosion which damaged a police bus in Istanbul, the police reported. The bomb detonated near the offices of the ruling Justice and Development party. All of the wounded were police officers who were on duty at a nearby business association building. "As a police vehicle carrying 21 officers was passing by, a remote control bomb on a motorcycle exploded. Our teams are carrying out the investigation," Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin told reporters. Security guards from nearby offices and passers-by helped moved the wounded to the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) building, a conservative business group close to the government whose headquarters are next door to the AK Party building. None of the injured were said to be in critical conditions. Witnesses told Turkish TV that the explosives may have been carried on a motorcycle. Kurdish separatists, far left groups, far right groups and Islamist militants, including Al-Qaeda, have all carried out bomb attacks in Turkey in the past, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.  "I strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Istanbul's Sutluce district. Sadly, 15 police officers and one civilian were injured as a result," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara.  "Our struggle against terrorism will continue with the utmost determination," he said.