Assailants fire shot at US Consulate in Istanbul

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported the bomb caused a fire that collapsed part of the three-storey police station in Istanbul’s Sultanbeyli neighbourhood.

At least five police officers and two civilians have been injured in a bomb attack on a police station in Turkish city of Istanbul.

The attack on the consulate in the northern Sariyer district of Istanbul occurred early Monday morning.

One of the police officers injured in the explosion is reportedly in critical condition. Police opened retaliatory fire at the assailants, APA reported.

The attacks come as tensions between Turkey and the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have increased.

Ankara has also recently taken a more active role in the fight against Islamic State militants across the border in Syria.

The government has also vowed to begin strikes against IS jihadists in Syria alongside US forces who have now started arriving to use the well-located Incirlik Turkish air base in the south of the country.

PAUL CROCK/AFP/Getty Images The support includes a detachment of six F-16 fighter jets. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The consulate has been closed to public until further notice, said a written statement released on the consulate’s twitter account.

Police wearing flak jackets and holding machine guns blocked off streets leading to the consulate.