PM sends condolences to Turkey after Istanbul deadly terror attack

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has offered his heartfelt condolences to the Turkish nation after the deadly terror attack on a police car in central Istanbul this morning, which left 11 people dead and 36 others injured. 

I offer my deep condolences to the families of the victims in the terror attack, to the whole Turkish nation and the Turkish government. 

It’s very regrettable that the lives of so many people have been used as a weapon of fighting and influence in the modern world.  The whole international community should provide maximum efforts to stop this violence,” Kvirikashvili said.

Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reacted to the terror act, strongly condemned it and offered condolences to Turkish people. 

A car bomb attack, targeting a police bus, claimed the lives of seven officers and four civilians, while 36 people suffering injures were transported to hospitals, local authorities said. 

Istanbul's governor Vasip Sahin said the attack took place near the city's historic Beyazit Square, which is one of major tourist attractions. 

Explosives in the car were remotely detonated as the police bus passed through the busy Vezneciler district this morning during rush hour, BBC reported. 

It was the fourth major attack in Istanbul - Turkey's capital and largest city this year. No terrorist group has yet taken responsibility for the blast. 

Despite this Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated to the involvement of outlawed, separatist Kurdish militants.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and one of its offshoots claimed responsibility for attacks on Turkish security forces before, reported BBC.

Turkey has been hit by bloody attacks in recent months by radical Islamic group - Islamic State (IS) – operating in Turkey’s neighboring Syria and Iraq, and the PKK or one of its offshoots.

Turkey is part of the United States-led coalition against IS and allows coalition planes to use its air base for raids on terrorists in Iraq and Syria. 

A two-year-old ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK broke down last summer.