UPDATE - Armed attack on ruling party kills 3 in Turkey

ADDS DEATH TOLL; CHANGES DECK, HEADLINE

By Halil Fidan

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - Members of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Thursday were attacked by an armed group in southeastern Turkey, leaving three people killed and eight injured.

Health Minister Ahmet Demircan said the members, including MP Ibrahim Halil Yildiz, were attacked while campaigning in Sanliurfa’s Suruc district ahead of the elections.

Demircan said police and an air ambulance were dispatched to the scene immediately.

He added: “We will share information as we receive it.”

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions of speaking to media, claimed the attackers were members of opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Although Yildiz survived the attack with no injuries, his older brother Mehmet Ali Yildiz was among the casualties after succumbing to his wounds in the hospital.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu reacted to the attack, saying people should express their thoughts by voting in a democratic environment and not clashes.

"We hope that nobody has lost their lives, and again, we hope that the tensions there will end," Kilicdaroglu said.

This April, the parliament passed a bill for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move to a presidential system.