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Kurdish rebels claim deadly Istanbul bombing
[Al Arabiya Latest] A radical Kurdish separatist group claimed Tuesday the deadly bombing of a bus in Istanbul in which five people died and threatened more attacks, in a statement posted on its website.The bus, carrying army personnel to work, was hit by a remote-control bomb planted on a road in Halkali, a suburb on Istanbul's European side, officials said. Four soldiers and a 17-year-old girl, the daughter of an officer, were killed, and a dozen passengers wounded in the attack early Tuesday. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) said they bombed the bus because Turkey "is planning a massacre of the Kurdish people" and has adopted "a concept of aggression" against jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, it said. The Turkish authorities say TAK is a front used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a bloody 26-year insurgency in the southeast, especially when attacks claim civilian casualties. The PKK has said TAK is a splinter group outside its control. TAK threatened to "increase the dosage of our action" because Ankara's policies "are forcing us to undertake even more intensive attacks." In a separate statement posted on its website, TAK claimed responsibility also for the June 8 bombing of a bus carrying policemen to work in Istanbul, which left 15 people wounded. Posted by: Fred 2010-06-23 |
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