ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey on Thursday denied that the Islamic State (ISIS) group had used its territory for an attack on the Kurdish border town of Kobani in Syria, claiming that “sleeper cells” inside were involved.
"The claims that the Daesh (ISIS) militants who mounted the suicide attack had entered the region from Turkey does not reflect reality," the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted an official statement as saying.
The statement by the Sanliurfa Governorate -- which borders Syria to the south -- said that the militants had infiltrated Kobani from the Syrian city of Jarablus at around 5 am local time (0200 GMT), after which they carried out a car-bomb suicide attack.
"We will share the images (of evidence) as soon as possible with the public," AA quoted the governor's office as saying.
Meanwhile, Turkish security sources claimed that ISIS “sleeper cells” were behind the attack.
“Daesh ‘sleeper cells’ lying in wait in central Kobani were involved in Thursday morning’s attack targeting Kurdish forces in Syria,” AA quoted the sources as saying.
“Black propaganda has been launched claiming that Daesh militants who exploded the bomb in Kobani today crossed from the Turkish border.
This is a total lie and slander,” Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said, according to the Hurriyet Daily newspaper.
A statement released Thursday afternoon by the YPG People's Protection Units, said 45 civilians had been killed by the bombings and shootings. The YPG claimed to have killed 30 ISIS fighters.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said that claims of Turkish territory used by ISIS were “lies.” Bilgic told reporters that 63 wounded people had been brought to Turkey after the attack and that two of them, one a child, had subsequently died.
The pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (BDP) called on citizens to form a “human shield” for Kobani.
Earlier in the day, a Kurdish official based in Kobani described a city gripped with fear following the ISIS attacks, saying the militants had entered wearing uniforms of the Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
“At about 5am this morning a group of ISIS terrorists used Free Syrian Army and YPG uniforms to enter the city,” said Ali Ibrahim, a member of the central committee the Kurdistan Democratic Party- Syria.
“We don’t have a precise number of how many entered. The terrorists also took over Bakha Botan village and committed a massacre,” Ibrahim said.
Kobani was liberated in January after months of heavy fighting. The town is a powerful symbol of Kurdish resistance to ISIS, some referring to it as the "Kurdish Stalingrad."
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