ISTANBUL, Turkey — A Kurdish militant group on Friday warned foreign tourists that they are no longer safe in Turkey as its fighters target security forces in cities across the country.
The warning from the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons came as the group also claimed a car bomb attack in central Istanbul this week, raising fears the country's largest city and economic powerhouse could become the scene of more carnage.
That attack targeted a police van and killed at least 11 people in an area near some of the city's most famous landmarks. It was the fourth major bombing in Istanbul this year, and the third to hit neighborhoods popular with tourists.
The militant group — an offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK — also took responsibility for two car bomb attacks in the Turkish capital, Ankara, this year. Together, those attacks killed more than 60 people, and have increased tensions across Turkey.
Kurdish militant groups have been fighting the Turkish state for decades for autonomy for the country's ethnic Kurds. The conflict was reignited last year after a truce between Turkey and the PKK collapsed.
Since then, Turkish warplanes have struck hundreds of militant targets in northern Iraq, where the PKK is based as well as in Turkey's southeast, where many towns are majority Kurd.
"We warn all tourists who might plan to visit Turkey. … You are not our targets, but Turkey is no (longer) secure for you," the Friday statement from the militant group said.
The Turkish government "is responsible for civilian deaths," the group said. But "we have just started the war."
Turkey is facing crises on multiple fronts, including with Kurdish militants, the Islamic State in Syria, and European leaders who want to see authorities stem the flow of migrants. The country has also clashed with Russia, which has thrown its support behind Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Turkey's government supports the rebels battling Assad. Last year, Turkish planes shot down a Russian fighter jet that had been flying over Syria.
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