Armed attack injures Turkish parliamentary candidate in southern Turkey

A parliamentary candidate of the main opposition party was wounded in an armed attack on Tuesday in southern Adana province of Turkey, state-run Anadolu agency reported.

The Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy candidate and lawyer Elif Dogan Turkmen, 53, was shot in her knee by gunfire from a car while she was on her way to a breakfast in Cukurova district of Adana, Governor of Adana Mustafa Buyuk was quoted as saying.

Turkmen was taken to a hospital for treatment, Buyuk said, adding that the car used in the attack was rental and found abandoned.

The police launched an operation to capture the gunman.

The attack came following a series of assaults against candidates of political parties in Turkey ahead of June 7 general elections.

Most recently, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Ramazan Demir was stabbed in stomach during his election campaigning in Adana on Saturday.

On Thursday, the AKP mayor of Gursu district of western Bursa province Cuneyt Yildiz was attacked by gunfire at the municipality.

Seven people were injured in simultaneous explosions on May 18 at two headquarters of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in southern Adana and Mersin provinces of Turkey.

The twin blasts occurred on the day when HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas was set to hold a rally in Mersin as part of his campaign for upcoming general elections. Endit