Suicide bomber attacks Istanbul, kills four
Monday, March 21, 2016
At least four people were killed by a suicide bomb in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday morning. The suicide bomber was a fifth death.
At least 36 people were injured, according to Turkish health minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu. Reports varied on how may injured were foreigners; Minister Müezzinoğlu identified the nationalities of twelve injured from Israel, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Iran, and Dubai. The blast occurred prematurely, according to CNN Türk.
The attack took place on Istiklal Street, a popular pedestrian commercial street.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the blast "inhumane," saying Turkey would continue to fight "centres of terrorism".
This is the third attack in Turkey in just over a month, following a car bomb that killed more than 30 people in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, six days earlier, and the bombing of a military convoy in mid-February.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey condemned the Ankara attack, saying, "Terror organisations and their pawns are targeting our innocent citizens in the most immoral and heartless way as they lose the fight against our security forces[...] Terror attacks — which intend to target the integrity of Turkey, unity and solidarity of our people — do not diminish our will to fight against terror, but further boost it."
The Ankara attack has since been claimed by a Kurdish military group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons: "We claim the operation of March 13, 2016, at 6:45 p.m. in the heart of the Republic of Turkey".
The Kurdish Freedom Falcons are associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). According to Reuters, violence has escalated in southeast of Turkey since the July collapse of the Turkey–PKK ceasefire.
Sources
- Nick Tattersall, Ayla Jean Yackley. "Suicide bomber kills four, wounds 36 in Istanbul shopping district" — Reuters, March 20, 2016
- "Istanbul shopping area hit by suicide bomber" — BBC News Online, March 19, 2016
- Constanze Letsch, James Tapper. "Istanbul hit by suicide attack" — The Guardian, March 20, 2016
- Dominique Soguel (Associated Press). "Kurdish Group Claims Ankara Car Bomb Attack That Killed 37" — ABC News (US), March 17, 2016
- Gul Tuysuz and Euan McKirdy. "Woman suicide bomber took part in Ankara attack, official says" — CNN, March 15, 2016
- "Ankara bombing: Turkey strikes against Kurdish rebel PKK" — BBC News Online, March 14, 2016
- "Access to social media cut in Turkey after Ankara terror attack" — Hürriyet Daily News, March 13, 2016
- "World reacts to Ankara terror bombing, expresses solidarity with Turkey" — Daily Sabah, February 17, 2016