“You have no such right”, Erdogan said. “Turkey is most certainly at a geographical disadvantage and Daesh has managed to establish a network here and rally recruits to its cause”.
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The country is widely believed to be among the staunch supporters of the militant groups operating against the government in neighboring Syria.
More than 230 people were injured in Wednesday’s attack, which Turkish officials and others said was likely carried out by the Islamic State terrorist group.
Although no one has claimed responsibility for the airport attack, the Islamic State group is suspected, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated Friday that Islamic State was “most probably” behind it.
The police raided the apartment after the attack, according to an upstairs neighbour, who said the bombers kept the curtains closed.
A child leans on the coffin of his uncle, suicide attack victim Hamidullah Safar, in Istanbul during his funeral on Thursday, two days after a suicide bombing and gun attack targeted Istanbul’s airport.
Ala said that there was an ongoing “serious and comprehensive investigation” into who was behind the attack. “Moving forward, as far as the Turkish population is concerned, they want to see an improvement in intelligence gathering”.
The Aksaray neighborhood has become a hub for mostly Syrian and Iraqi nationals who have moved to Turkey following unrest in their countries and set up scores of small shops, restaurants, real estate agencies and import-export businesses.
The Istanbul governor’s office said 10 foreign nationals were among the 44 killed and that three of them had dual Turkish citizenship.
The three attackers were identified from their remains.
Two of the suicide bombers who attacked Istanbul’s main airport earlier this week have been identified by Turkish authorities, according to the local media, while US officials have named the mastermind of the operation.
Investigators’ attentions have reportedly focused on whether a Chechen extremist known to be a top lieutenant in the Islamic State group masterminded the attack.
Akhmed Chatayev, who is from Russia’s North Caucus region, oversaw the suicide bombings that killed 43 people at Turkey’s biggest airport, according to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Micheal McCaul (R-Texas).
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There’s better security now, but Turkish politician Hursit Gunes told CBS News the airport bombing is partly a result of Turkey’s failure to control its border.
