Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the attack in Gaziantep, Turkey that lead to the death of 50 people as the death toll from Saturday’s attack on the wedding party soared. At least 69 people were wounded, with 17 of them in critical condition. A suspected suicide bomber targeted people from a wedding party who took to the streets in celebration.
President Erdogan said it’s that likely ISIL militants are responsible for the late night bombing. Turkey faces multiple security threats from ISIL. Just in June, three suspected ISIL suicide bombers attacked Istanbul’s main airport killing killed 44 people.
The suicide bomber is estimated to be as young as 12 years old to 14 years old according to the Turkish President, reports AP.
“It was clear that Daesh had such an organization in Gaziantep or was attempting to make room for itself in recent times,” Erdogan said, using an alternative acronym for IS. “Many intensive operations were conducted, are being conducted. Of course our security forces will be conducting these operations with even greater intensity.”
Turkey has been rocked by a wave of attacks in the past year that have either been claimed by Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party — known by its acronym PKK — or were blamed on IS but the bombing late Saturday in Gaziantep, near Turkey’s border with Syria, is the deadliest attack in Turkey this year according to AP.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek and the country’s health minister visited the wounded and inspected the site of the attack.
“This is a massacre of unprecedented cruelty and barbarism,” the PM told reporters. “We … are united against all terror organizations. They will not yield.”
Foreign governments, including the U.S., Sweden, Greece, France, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Germany have condemned the attack.
