However, the Turkish government has already attributed Wednesday’s attack to Kurdish group the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) or its sister-group in Syria, the Democratic Union party (PYD).
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The blast at rush hour Wednesday killed 28 people and wounded dozens more in a auto bombing that targeted buses of military personnel. “The region has seen fierce fighting between the army and Kurdish militants from the PKK”.
After the suicide attack Wednesday, Turkey also began directing airstrikes at PKK camps in Iraq and announced it will continue bombing YPG positions. The report could not be independently verified.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the evidence pointed to the Syrian Kurdish group.
After a two-year ceasefire, conflict between Turkey and the PKK has been renewed over the past year, which has led to destruction in multiple towns and cities in Turkey’s Kurdish-dominated south-east.
“In light of information we have obtained, it has been clearly identified that this attack has been carried out by the members of terrorist organization inside Turkey together with a YPG member individual who has crossed from Syria”, Davutoglu said. Turkey may have no choice but to do the same with Syria’s Kurds, who have been undertaking state-building measures since 2012. “It is out of the question for us to excuse a terror organization that threatens the capital of our country”, he added. Stating that the EU extends condolences to the families of the victims killed in the attack and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, the two European Union politicians said they are “with Turkey and its people in these hard times and stand by all those who suffer from the consequences of such violence, and of terrorism”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
It said that despite Turkey’s “provocations and attacks” on Kurdish areas in Syria, it has never retaliated against Turkey. “The stance against the PYD has become a major bone of contention between allies US and Turkey”. Russian warplanes are providing support for the Kurdish offensive, which is aimed at securing full control of the Turkish border, while Russia has also promised to support the Syrian Kurds’ goal of federal status, he said.
A YPG statement announced that the group had no connection to the bombing. Any Turkish escalation against the PYD is likely to further strain ties with the U.S. “The attack was carried out by YPG member Salih Necar, who came in from Syria”.
People walk on the Syrian side of the Bab al-Salam border crossing with Turkey.
Erdogan says 14 people had been detained in nationwide raids across Turkey and that the number was likely to rise. But Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has also itself to blame, having recklessly acquiesced to jihadist groups entering Syria across its borders and establishing a presence in Turkey to arm and fund their campaign to overthrow the Assad regime.
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On Thursday, six soldiers were killed in southeastern Turkey after PKK rebels detonated a bomb on a road linking the cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol as their military vehicle was passing by, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now its aim is more focused on greater autonomy and rights for Turkey’s largest ethnic minority.
