32 Injured in Istanbul Bombing

ISTANBUL (Oct. 31) -- A suspected suicide bomber injured at least 32 people, including 17 civilians, Sunday morning in central Istanbul. The others injured were policemen who are regularly stationed at the square in case of demonstrations.

The bomb when off in Taksim Square, a major tourist site that boasts numerous hotels, restaurants, a metro stop, and a bus station.

The blast comes as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is due to end its latest ceasefire. The PKK has waged a nearly 30- year war against the Turkish state for Kurdish rights and autonomy in southeast Turkey, a conflict that has left more than 40,000 people dead. Just days ago, PKK top commander Murat Karayilan said in an interview with a Turkish journalist that the group would no longer target civilians, admitting "mistakes" in doing so in the past. A PKK spokesperson denied any responsibility for Sunday's attack, according to CNN.

But Turkish media were quick to point blame at the PKK, which has previously used suicide bombers. TV images showed injured people being loaded into ambulances and what appeared to be a bloody body on the ground.

Talha Kaya, 21, who sells food near the square, said he heard the bomb go off and went with some friends to help the injured, but was blocked by police. "We could not see the injured but we saw pieces of the corpse. We were really frightened. You should experience it to understand the fear we went through."

The attack occurred as the city was preparing to mark National Day, the anniversary of the founding of the Turkish republic. The actual anniversary was on Friday, but festivities were postponed until Sunday due to rain. According to local media reports, the male bomber was trying to enter a police van when his bomb exploded. A second unexploded bomb was found next to his body.

"Such attacks will not prevent us from fulfilling our targets of unity and development." said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was on a visit to the southeastern province of Mardin.

Responsibility for the attack has yet to be claimed. While many people suspect the PKK, Kaya, the food vendor, suggested others might have been behind it.

"Some forces do not want Turkey to be in peace," Kaya said. "Maybe they wanted to frighten the government. It may be related to the Ergenekon trials or may be just because they wanted to terrorize people and generate fear. They might think that the government should come to harm."

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has arrested alleged members of a secret organization called Ergenekon, which has links to the country's secular military establishment, on accusations that they were planning to create chaos inside the country in order to topple the Islamist rooted government.

Earlier today, security forces from Istanbul's anti-terror branch detained 16 members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP/C), according to local media. The Marxist-Leninist group, which is considered to be a terrorist organization by the United States, believes Turkey to be controlled by Western countries. Though it has assassinated at least one U.S. citizen, the group has mainly targeted Turkish security forces and has used suicide attacks in the past.

It is unclear if the detentions were related to the bombing. Police alleged that the group was planning some kind of action, but did not specify what kind.

In an move that may be overlooked because of news of the bombing, Turkey also ended its two-year ban of YouTube. Though it could easily be accessed through proxy servers, the video sharing site had been officially outlawed due to videos that courts decided were insulting to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the country's founder.









ISTANBUL, Turkey (Oct. 31)- -A suspected suicide bomber injured at least 22 people, including 12 civilians, Sunday morning in Istanbul's central Taxsim Square. The others injured were policemen who are regularly stationed at the square in case of demonstrations. Every day thousands of people pass through the area, one of Istanbul's main tourist sights and among the busiest places in the city with numerous hotels, restaurants, a metro stop, and bus station.

The blast comes as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) ended its most recent ceasefire. The PKK has waged a nearly 30 year long war against the Turkish state for Kurdish rights and autonomy in southeast Turkey that has left more than 40,000 people dead. Yet only a few days before PKK top commander Murat Karayilan said in an interview with a Turkish journalist that the group would no longer target civilians, admitting the groups had made "mistakes" in the past. A PKK spokesperson denied any responsibility for Sunday's attack, according to CNN.

Despite this, Turkish media were quick to point blame for the attack towards the PKK, who have used suicide bombers in the past. TV images showed injured people being loaded into ambulances and what appeared to be a bloody body on the ground. Talha Kaya, 21, a vendor that sells traditional food near the square said he heard the bomb go off and went with some friends to help the injured, but was blocked by police. "We could not see the injured but we saw pieces of the corpse. We were really frightened. You should experience it to understand the fear we went through."

The attack occurred as the city was preparing to mark National Day, the anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. The actual anniversary was on Friday, but due to rain festivities were postponed until Sunday. According to local media reports, the male bomber was trying to enter a police bus when his bomb exploded. Rumors of a second female bomber who was wounded by police fire, but briefly escaped before being arrested have not been confirmed by authorities. A second unexploded bomb was found next to the body of the male bomber.

"Such attacks will not prevent us from fulfilling our targets of unity and development." said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was on a visit to the southeastern province of Mardin.

Responsibility for the attack has yet to be claimed. While many people suspect the PKK, Kaya did not single them out as the only possible perpetrators.

"Some forces do not want Turkey to be in peace," Kaya said. "Maybe they wanted to frighten the government. It may be related to the Ergenekon trials or may be just because they wanted to terrorize people and generate fear. They might think that the government should come to harm."

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has arrested alleged members of a secret organization called Ergenekon which has links to the country's secular military establishment on accusations that they were planning to create chaos inside the country in order to topple the Islamist rooted government.

Earlier today, security forces from Istanbul's anti-terror branch detained 16 members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP/C), according to local media. The Marxist-Leninist group, which is considered to be a terrorist organization by the US State Department, believes Turkey to be controlled by Western countries. Though it has assassinated at least one US citizen, the group has mainly targeted Turkish security forces and has used suicide attacks in the past.

It is unclear if the detentions were related to the bombing, police said that the group was planning some kind of direct-action, but did not specify what kind.

With a move that may be overlooked due to news of the bombing, Turkey has also ended its two year ban of YouTube. Though it could easily be accessed through proxy servers, the video sharing site was officially banned in Turkey due to videos courts decided were insulting to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the country's founder.