US offers its condolences for yesterday's PKK attack

The US offered its condolences to the families and friends of the victims of yesterday's PKK attack in Istanbul. US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley yesterday stated that the PKK is a terrorist organization which threatens Turkey, Iraq, and the US, adding, "They are a threat to the stability of the region and we support efforts by our Turkish allies and our Iraqi allies to deal with the challenge posed by the PKK." In related news, Antonio Miloshoski, the chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish president of its Parliamentary Assembly, released a joint statement condemning the attack. "We strongly condemn today's terrorist attack on a bus in Istanbul, in which three people were killed, including a child," it said, adding, "The recent upsurge of terrorist violence in Turkey is a matter of grave concern."