Diplomatic tension: Turkey rejects U.S. condolences over terror attack

There is rising diplomatic tension as Turkish Interior Minister, Süleyman Soylu, on Monday rejected united States words of condolences on the terrorist attack in Istanbul on Sunday, in which six died and many injured.

The Turkish Minister, Soylu, reiterated his accusation that the U.S. is supporting “terrorist organisations” in northern Syria. He declared: “we do not accept the condolences of the U.S. ambassador, we reject them.’’

The U.S. consulate and embassy had strongly condemned the attack and offered condolences to the victims.

Meanwhile, the police in Turkey revealed that the main suspect arrested in Sunday’s attack on the Istiklal shopping street was from Syria. She said that she had received “orders” from the Syrian Kurdish militia, the People’s Defence Units (YPG) concerning the arrested suspect.

Turkey considers the YPG as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), while the U.S. perceives the YPG as a partner in the Syrian civil war, in the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State.