The Kremlin said Putin on Sunday conveyed Russia’s readiness to increase counter-terrorism cooperation with Turkey, including following through on agreements the two presidents reached during their recent talks in Russian Federation.
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One mother, Emine Ayhan, lost four of her five children in the bombing while her husband is in intensive care, the Yeni Safak daily said.
We pray that the injured gets the speediest recovery and the guilty to be caught! Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned the attack and vowed to continue to fight terrorist groups.
“The initial findings of the governor and our police forces indicate the attack has been perpetrated by Daesh”, said Erdogan, using another term for the terror group.
People gather after an explosion in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, early Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the IS extremist group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack and that its aim was to sow divisions among ethnic groups in the country.
The party also suggested that IS carried out the attack hours after another Kurdish political party announced plans to negotiate to try to end a three-decade conflict between Kurdish militants and the Turkish government.
Multiple opposition parties denounced the attack, as did many foreign governments including the U.S., Germany, Austria, Russia, Egypt, Sweden, Greece, France, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan and global institutions including the United Nations, the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said: “We stand with the people of Turkey as they defend their democracy in the face of all forms or terrorism”.
If this was an attack by so-called Islamic State, it could be a response to the jihadists’ recent loss of territory in Syria.
In the Vatican, Pope Francis led hundreds of people in silent prayer for the victims of the attack, concluding by asking “for the gift of peace for everyone”. It has also backed some rebels in Syria. “Since these victims were mainly Kurdish, the PKK probably wasn’t behind it”, Peter says. Almost 70 others were wounded.
A parliamentary deputy from the ruling AK Party said in a message posted on Twitter that Islamic State is believed to be behind the attack. Sixty-nine people were wounded in the blast, with 17 of them in critical condition, reported Anadolu Agency, Turkish state-run media.
In Gaziantep, funerals were held for dozens of the victims on Sunday.
Last month the country was shaken by an attempted coup launched by rogue elements of the military.
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Erdogan accuses Gulen of being behind a failed coup attempt last month; Gulen has denied the accusation.
