IS claims Diyarbakir attack Turkey blamed on PKK

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Islamic State (IS) on Saturday claimed responsibility for the car bomb attack that killed nine people and wounded over 100 in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, Turkey.

In an online Arabic post, the IS propaganda outlet Aamaq agency reported “fighters from the [IS] exploded a bomb-laden car in front of a Turkish police station in Diyarbakir, Southeast Turkey.”

Shortly after the Friday attack, the Turkish Governor’s Office in Diyarbakir claimed “members of the divisive terrorist organization” Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had taken responsibility for the blast.

Additionally, Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim attributed the early morning attack that came hours after the detention of a dozen pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers and leaders to the PKK.

Soon afterward, Turkish authorities ordered a media ban.

There was still no statement of denial or confirmation of responsibility for the explosion on the website of the PKK’s military wing People’s Defence Forces (HPG) at the time of publishing this report.

The attack drew wide-ranging condemnation from several countries including the United States whose State Department Spokesperson John Kirby called on the PKK to cease “its senseless, brutal attacks” during a daily press briefing on Friday.

On Thursday, the IS leader and “Caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi urged attacks on Turkey saying it was “a secular apostate” country.

The statement was released in an audio message after the mid-October commencement of an offensive by the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army to liberate the city of Mosul.

“Unleash the fire of your anger on Turkish troops in Syria,” Baghdadi had addressed to IS fighters.

“Turkey today entered your range of action and the aim of your struggle, invade it and turn its safety into fear,” he added.

Late in August, Turkey began a ground operation with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions to clear a 90-kilometers stretch of its southern border from IS insurgents.

IS’ claim of responsibility for the Diyarbakir blast was a first as the group had before refrained from doing so in previous attacks in Turkey.

These include the August suicide bombing of a Kurdish wedding in Gaziantep that killed 57, and the Istanbul Ataturk Airport attack in June that killed 48, a large majority of them civilians.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany