Syria Democratic Forces: We have nothing to do with the Istanbul bombing and we express our condolences to the Turkish people
The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces, of which the Kurdish People’s Protection Units are the most prominent faction, denied any connection to the Istanbul bombing, which killed six people on Sunday, according to its commander-in-chief, Mazloum Abdi.
On Monday, the Turkish police accused Syria of placing the bomb, noting that the young woman who was arrested confessed that she had acted “by order of the PKK”.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu accused the Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of being behind the attack”.
We believe that the order to attack came from Ain Arab (Kobani), the border city with Türkiye located in the areas controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces in northern and northeastern Syria, he said.
The Kurdish Autonomous Administration in northern and northeastern Syria confirmed that it had no restrictions on the suspect, whose arrest the Turkish police announced.
Abdi wrote on Twitter, “We confirm that our forces have nothing to do with the Istanbul bombing, and we reject the allegations accusing our forces of that,” adding, “We express our sincere condolences to the families of the missing and the Turkish people, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery”.
Ankara classifies the People’s Protection Units as a terrorist organization and considers it an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been carrying out a rebellion against it for decades.
The PKK, in turn, denied any role in the bombing. He accused Ankara of having vague plans and of showing Ain Arab (Kobani) as a target.
