Monday, July 20, 2015

Suspected Islamic State Suicide Bombing Attack Kills 28 In Turkish Town Near Kobani



Reuters: Suspected Islamic State suicide bombing kills 28 in Turkish border town

At least 28 people, mostly young students, were killed in a Turkish town near the Syrian border on Monday in what officials said appeared to be a suicide bomb attack mounted by Islamic State militants.

Television footage showed bodies lying beneath trees outside a cultural center in the mostly Kurdish town of Suruc in southeastern Turkey, some 10 km (6 miles) from the Syrian town of Kobani, where Kurdish fighters have been battling Islamic State.

The blast tore through a group of mostly university-aged students from an activist group as they gathered to make a statement to the local press about a trip they were planning to help rebuild Kobani. The Hurriyet daily said the attacker was an 18-year old woman, but there was no confirmation.

"Our initial evidence shows that this was a suicide attack by Islamic State," one senior official in Ankara told Reuters.

More News On Today's Suicide Bomb Attack In Turkey

Suruc explosion: At least 28 killed in Turkey border blast -- BBC
Dozens dead after terror attack in Turkish border city -- CNN
Deadly blast hits Turkish town near Syria -- Washington Post
Turkey Calls Deadly Blast at Suruc, Near Syria, a Terrorist Attack -- NYT
Dozens killed as blast hits Turkish town near Syria -- Al Jazeera
At least 27 killed, 100 injured in 'terrorist attack' on Turkish town near Kobani -- RT

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Questions:

(1) Were these Turks of Jurdish or other minority persuasion?

"The blast tore through a group of mostly university-aged students from an activist group as they gathered to make a statement to the local press about a trip they were planning to help rebuild Kobani." -Reuters

I assume they were.


(2) What will Turkey do about it?


"Ankara fears any disorder in the border area could re-ignite an armed Kurdish separatist rebellion by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has killed some 40,000 since 1984.

Turkey's Kurds have been enraged by what they see as Ankara's failure to do more to stop Islamic State. The PKK held the government responsible for Monday's attack, saying it had "supported and cultivated" Islamic State against the Kurds."

Or maybe what does Erdogan want to do about it or pretend to do about it?