Prime minister blames Istanbul car-bomb on PKK

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey’s prime minister on Wednesday named the PKK terror group as being responsible for the previous day’s car-bomb attack in Istanbul that killed 11.

“The murderer is the PKK terrorist organization,” Binali Yildirim said in response to journalists’ questions while visiting survivors in hospital. “We aren’t surprised. However, the circle tightens around the PKK.”

The attack in the Beyazit district targeted a police bus, killing seven police officers and four civilians and injuring 36.

On Wednesday, a car-bomb was detonated outside a police station in Midyat, a town in the southeastern province of Mardin, killing two civilians and a police officer. Some Turkish media outlets reported that Yildirim was referring to the Midyat explosion when he made his comment.

The area has seen a lot of PKK activity since the group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU, resumed its 30-year armed campaign in July last year. However, no group has yet claimed responsibility or been accused of the Midyat attack.

Underlining Turkey’s resolve against the PKK, Yildirim said: “We are determined to combat the PKK both in cities and in rural areas.”

According to the government, around 500 security personnel have been martyred since last summer and more than 4,900 PKK terrorists killed across Turkey and northern Iraq.