ISTANBUL: EXPLOSION BY ISIS BOMBER KILLS AT LEAST 10

The suicide bomber who killed at least 10 foreigners Tuesday in a popular central Istanbul tourist area belonged to ISIS, officials said -- an attack that shows the group's nerve, reach and capacity for terror.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially said the attacker had Syrian roots. 

A short time later, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu went one step further, saying the man responsible for the blast came from outside Turkey and was a member of ISIS, the terror menace that has entrenched itself in neighboring Syria and Iraq while proving willing time and again to lash out worldwide.

"These terrorists (are) targeting the
whole of civilization," Davutoglu said.

At least nine German nationals died in the attack between the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque tourist attractions in Istanbul's cultural and historic heart, said a Turkish official who declined to be named. 

Davutoglu indicated that the 15 wounded were from inside and outside his country.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was born in 1988. He was not among the thousands being tracked by Turkish authorities, having "newly (come) into Turkey from Syria," added Kurtulmus.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Just to Turkey's south, Syria has been embroiled in a civil war for nearly five years -- a conflict that, according to the United Nations, has cost more than 250,000 lives, spurred more than half the country's 17 million residents to flee and caused humanitarian crises for those left behind, as illustrated by the hundreds starving in the siege of Madaya.

This violence can be pinned on many groups, including forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Yet ISIS has been behind many of the worst atrocities there and elsewhere in the region, a fact that's made the terror group a top target for civilized countries.

A member of NATO, Turkey has increasingly been engaged in this fight -- including allowing the United States to launch strikes from Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey and clamping down to curb more fighters from going through its territory to join the group. 

ISIS has responded by singling out Turkey as a primary target, and a recent issue of its Dabiq magazine had a cover showing Erdogan alongside U.S. President Barack Obama.

And Davutoglu stressed Turkey wouldn't back down after Tuesday's attack, urging his countrymen and people worldwide to unite against this threat.

"We will continue our fight against terror (with) the same firm attitude," said the Prime Minister, insisting terrorist attacks wouldn't affect Turkey's proud multi-cultural heritage or welcoming nature. "We will never compromise, even one single inch."

Source: (CNN)

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