Kurdish militant group claims Ankara auto bomb attack

Amnesty said it has also documented how Turkish security forces have shot and wounded civilians, including children, who out of desperation have attempted to cross the border unofficially with the help of smugglers.

Asked how this attack would affect the U.S.-Turkey relations considering Washington’s close ties with the YPG, which is America’s main ally and “reliable partner” on the ground inside Syria fighting Daesh, Sert was quick note to that “the relations with America for Turkey are of course so important”.

The Iranian official and government-supported media, however, have published similar false news before.

But Erdogan said only three of the suspects are believed to have had “active part” in the attack.

Turkey had objected to the twisted news and Iranian Deputy President Eshaq Jahangiri apologized to Turkey for the falsified news.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu revealed Thursday that the attack was carried out jointly by a Syrian-national YPG member and PKK members based in Turkey.

Both it and the PKK are classified as terrorist groups by Turkey and the US.

But Erdogan refused to be drawn into a debate with Kirby, who has angered Turkey by repeatedly defending USA support of the YPG in the last days.

The two leaders spoke over the phone Friday, discussing the situation in Syria and Wednesday’s attack, according to White House spokesperson Josh Earnest.

Syrian troops and a predominantly Kurdish militia have been on the offensive in northern Syria, capturing dozens of villages and towns from rebels and militant groups.

Mr Toner also said he could not substantiate claims that the YPG was smuggling U.S. weapons to the PKK.

The Kurdish militia, however, has been most effective in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The town’s capture is a blow to the Islamic State and would further boost the SDF, which sees the extremist IS group as its primary enemy on the battlefield in Syria’s complex and multi-layered civil war.

Turkey’s military pushed ahead with its cross-border artillery shelling campaign against YPG positions in Syria, Anadolu reported.

The attack Wednesday occurred as military buses waited at an intersection in Ankara’s city center.

“We’re in no position to confirm or deny the assertions made by the Turkish Government with respect to responsibility [for the Ankara blast]”, Kirby also said during a press briefing Thursday, adding: “As far as we know, that’s – as far as we’re concerned – that’s still an open question”.

On Friday, Erdogan repeated accusations that the YPG was behind a Wednesday bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people.

A Kurdish militant group, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), reportedly claimed responsibility Friday for a bombing in the Turkish capital that killed 28 people.