Twenty-nine victims of the attack, which took place on Sunday, were under the age of 18, reports said, with one official saying 22 were under the age of 14.
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His comments were an apparent backtracking on the identity of the suspect. “Early information on who committed the attack, and in the name of what organization, is unfortunately not right”, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım told reporters in Ankara, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Kurdish fighters, backed by the US-led coalition, have been at the forefront of the fight against IS in Syria.
Erdogan also claimed the bomber was a child aged 12 to 14, although NPR notes there were signs on Monday that the Turkish government was “walking back that statement”.
No group has said it was behind the bombing, but officials have said it appears to have been the work of the Islamic State group as they accused it of trying to destabilise Turkey by exploiting ethnic and religious tensions.
The rebels, groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, are expected to attack Jarablus from inside Turkey in the next few days.
In a sign of a key battle to come, Syrian rebel fighters have amassed on the Turkish side of the border in preparation for an offensive on the town of Jarablus, ISIS’ last major transit point on the Syrian side of the border.
Officials said a destroyed suicide vest was found at the scene of what was the deadliest in a series of bombings in Turkey this year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said IS should be “completely cleansed” from northern Syria. Erdogan said Sunday, however, that initial evidence pointed towards the “Islamic State” (IS).
It was one of many attacks in Turkey so far this year, which has seen a string of bombings and shootings blamed on both Isis and Kurdish militant groups hit Ankara, Istanbul and south-eastern provinces. The deadliest was last October, when suicide bombers killed more than 100 people at a rally of pro-Kurdish and labour activists in Ankara.
The bride and groom – a couple from the strongly Kurdish region of Siirt to the southeast – were rushed to hospital but not seriously wounded.
Erdogan said that in his view all “terror” groups are the same, be it the Islamic State group, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party or supporters of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen whom he blames for the coup.
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Among the guests at the wedding was Nursel Saglam, who was on a rooftop overlooking the outdoor celebrations.
