Two injured in Istanbul explosion

Security officials escort a bomb victim from the AKP offices

At least two people have been injured in an explosion in Istanbul which tore through the local offices of the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) party.

It was unclear how badly the two party members were injured, officials of the AKP said.

Windows were blown out by the force of the blast which took place in the city's Esenyurt district.

Kurdish separatist group the Kurdish Freedom Falcons (TAK) later said it had carried out the attack.

Youth wing

"A bomb which was put in front of the door exploded. The building was rendered unusable. Two of our friends were injured," AKP district chairman Fethi Kaya told the Reuters news agency.

Party officials said one of those injured was the local leader of the AKP's youth wing.

Wednesday's attack follows a week of violence in the south-east, where clashes between Kurds and riot police have resulted in 15 deaths.

Another bomb, which exploded inside a rubbish bin in the Kocamustafapasa district of Istanbul on Friday, left one person dead and 13 injured.

TAK claimed responsibility for that blast, saying the attack was in response to the recent violence.

Kurdish separatists, led by the PKK, have waged an armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in south-eastern Turkey since the mid-1980s.