ISTANBUL
ATTACK: ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING
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"In continuation of the blessed operations which ISIS
carries out against Turkey, a soldier of the brave caliphate attacked one of
the most popular nightclubs while Christians were celebrating their
holiday," a statement posted to Twitter reads.
The claim, which comes a day and a half after the attack,
cannot independently be verified by CNN -- ISIS did not provide sufficient
evidence to prove that the attacker carried out the attack on its behalf.
It adds that "the apostate government of Turkey should
know that the blood of Muslims who get killed by Turkey's planes and artillery
will set afire inside their country."
The statement did not contain any information about the
attacker.
The Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK, earlier issued a
statement distancing itself from the attack, which took place during the early
hours of January 1.
"No Kurdish forces have anything to do with this
attack," the statement read. "The Kurdish freedom fight is also the
fight for democratization of Turkey. That's why we won't target innocent and
civilian people."
Turkish
authorities continue to hunt for the man they believe is responsible for the
bloody attack, which also saw 69 people hospitalized, including one American.
A handful of the injured were in
critical condition. As of Monday, 46 were still being treated, according to the
Istanbul governor's office.
The victims hailed from 14 countries, according to
Turkey's semi-official news agency Anadolu, including India, Morocco, Jordan,
Canada, Russia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The suspected shooter, who stormed the Reina nightclub soon
after the clock struck midnight, appears to have evaded the tight security that
blanketed Turkey's largest city over the New Year. Yet, authorities are
confident that they will apprehend him soon. READ MORE
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