Kurdish group claims responsibility for Istanbul attack

A Kurdish militant group on Friday claimed responsibility for a car bombing in Istanbul that killed 11 people.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), claimed Tuesday’s bombing in an online statement.

“You are not our targets but Turkey is no longer safe for you,” it said in a warning to tourists. “We have just started the war.”

It said the the ruling Justice and Development Party was waging a “wild war” against Kurds.

The attack happened near an Istanbul University building in the busy Vezneciler district during the morning rush hour. At least 36 people were injured.

A suicide attack in the town of Midyat in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday killed three police officers and three civilians. The PKK claimed responsibility for that attack on Thursday.

The PKK is waging a war against Ankara for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurds in the southeast of the country. Its decades-long conflict against the Turkish state has claimed 40,000 lives.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies including the United States.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard