Turkish leaders condemn Istanbul attack, vow to continue fight against terror

Municipal workers clean the damages caused to a hotel and the road by a bomb in the Vezneciler district of Istanbul on June 7, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE

ANKARA, June 7 -- Turkish leaders on Tuesday condemned the latest bombing attack in Istanbul that killed 11 and injured more, and vowed to continue the country's fight against terrorism.

Turkey will "never ever make concessions in struggle against terror," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a statement.

He noted that innocent civilians were targeted at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, denouncing it as inhumane.

Seven police officers and four civilians were killed and 36 others injured in the morning rush hour, when a parked car exploded as a police shuttle bus passed by in the neighborhood of Vezneciler in Istanbul's Fatih district.

"We will continue our struggle until the end of these terror incidents," Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes said, referring to government's ongoing security operations against outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the security forces have cleaned the southeastern cities off PKK militants and would continue operations.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said that Turkey's national solidarity would overcome terrorism "despite the clumsiness of the current government."

Co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, also slammed the government for incompetency in clashes between the Turkish security forces and the PKK militants.

One of Demirtas's posts on Twitter accused the government of"creating the conditions for attacks." He also blasted the authorities for lacking effective method, such as using brutal force.

Demirtas called on the prime minister and political leaders at the parliament to convene and discuss how to end this problem.

The security situation in Turkey has deteriorated in recent months, with Istanbul, capital Ankara and other places rocked by a number of bombing attacks.