Istanbul suicide bomber belongs to IS group

ANKARA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Suspected suicide bomber of Tuesday's Istanbul blast is a member of Islamic state (IS) group, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

All those who were killed at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet Square blast are foreign nationals, Davutoglu stated at a press conference, pledging that Turkey will continue operations against jihadist group as part of the anti-IS coalition.

Most of the victims were German nationals, according to anonymous sources from the prime minister's office, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.

Davutoglu held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the attack and extended his condolences.

The Sultanahmet bomber, Syrian origin born in 1988, has recently entered from Syria, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters.

At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in an explosion that hit Sultanahmet Square on Tuesday.

Turkey has suffered from a series of deadly attacks. In July 2015, a bombing attack in the border town of Suruc in southeastern Turkey left 34 pro-Kurdish and left-wing activists killed. In October, twin suicide bombings hit the capital city Ankara, claiming a total of 103 lives. Both were blamed on the Islamic State (IS) militant group.