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A prison guard was killed in an
explosion that hit a bus in Turkey's northwestern province of
Bursa on Wednesday. A day later, an attacker placed a bomb in
Istanbul's Gaziosmanpasa district outside the offices of a
non-governmental organization.
"We identified the perpetrators of both attacks, in Bursa and
Istanbul. They are affiliated with two organisations
subcontracting for the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party)," Soylu
told broadcaster NTV in an interview.
He said the MLKP and the DKP-BOG - groups that are banned in
Turkey for alleged links to the PKK had carried out the attacks.
Although attacks have declined sharply in recent years, similar
actions have been carried out in the past by Kurdish, leftist
and Islamist militants.
On Monday, Turkey announced the start of a new ground and air
campaign in northern Iraq, targeting PKK militants.
Dubbed Operation Claw-Lock, Ankara says the offensive is a
measure to prevent the PKK from using Iraq as a base to carry
out attacks in Turkey.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the
United States and the European Union and launched its insurgency
for Kurdish self-rule in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been
killed in its conflict with the Turkish state.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Daren Butler and Louise
Heavens)
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