United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has «strongly» condemned Sunday’s bomb attack in the Turkish city of Istanbul, which left at least six people dead and more than 80 injured, with no claim of responsibility so far.
«The Secretary-General strongly condemns the deadly bombing in Istanbul,» said the spokesperson of the UN Secretary General in a statement in which he stressed that Guterres conveyed his «heartfelt condolences» to the victims and their families, as well as to the Government and the people of Turkey.
The Interior Minister, Suleiman Soylu, said Monday that the suspect of placing the explosive device on Istiklal Avenue has been arrested and pointed to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as responsible. He said the order came from Ain al Arab (Kobani), where the prominent Kurdish-Syrian militia People’s Protection Units (YPG) operates.
However the PKK disassociated itself from the attack. «We have nothing to do with this incident and it is well known to the public that we do not directly target civilians nor do we condone actions directed against civilians,» the People’s Defense Center Headquarters Command (HSM) said,» it noted.
Likewise, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of militias whose main element is the YPG, likewise denied any connection with the attack. «We affirm that our forces have nothing to do with the attack in Istanbul and reject the claims accusing our forces,» said SDF commander Mazlum Abdi.
