Wave Of Violence Hits Turkey

03:52

August 10, 2015

Turkish special police officers patrol in the street after clashes with attackers today at the Sultanbeyli district in Istanbul. The city was shaken by twin attacks on the U.S. consulate and a police station as tensions spiral amid the government's air campaign against Kurdish militants. Clashes had raged overnight following the attack on the police base, which left 10 people wounded including three police. The suspected affiliation of the slain militants was not made clear. (Ozan Kose/Getty Images)

Two assailants opened fire at the heavily protected U.S. consulate building the capital Istanbul, touching off a gunfight with police. And five members of the Turkish security force died in an attack in the south eastern part of the country.

The attacks come as Turkey takes a more active role in the fight against ISIS, launching air strikes against the militants in Syria and letting the US use Turkish air bases to launch its own attacks.

The BBC's Khashayar Joneidi joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to discuss the situation in Turkey.

Guest

Khashayar Joneidi, BBC Persian correspondent in Istanbul. He tweets @BBCKhashayar.

This segment aired on August 10, 2015.

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