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A SUICIDE BOMBER as young as 12 killed at least 51 people at a wedding in Turkey says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pointing the finger at the Islamic State group.
Erdogan said Saturday’s blast in Gaziantep near the Syria border “was the result of a suicide bomber aged between 12 and 14 who either detonated (the bomb) or others detonated it”.
The explosion was the latest attack to rock the key NATO member in a horrific year that has seen strikes blamed on Kurdish and Islamist militants as well as a bloody 15 July botched coup.
The president said the Islamic State group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack, the deadliest in 2016, that targeted a celebration attended by many Kurds.
The remains of a suicide vest were found at the scene, the chief prosecutor’s office said according to broadcaster CNN-Turk.
Gulser Ates, one of scores wounded in the attack, told Hurriyet the attack took place as the party was breaking up in the mainly Kurdish neighbourhood.
“We were sitting on chairs, having a chat with one of our neighbours,” she said.
During the explosion, the neighbour died on top of me. I remember being underneath. If my neighbour hadn’t fallen on top of me, I would have died.
The bride and groom’s happiest day was poisoned.
The bride and groom – Besna and Nurettin Akdogan – were rushed to hospital but were not seriously wounded.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the bride was released from hospital, saying as she left: “They turned our wedding into a bloodbath.”
She later returned to hospital after repeatedly fainting, Anadolu reported.
Women and children wounded
Funerals for many of the victims took place yesterday with an AFP photographer saying some covered relatives’ coffins with the Kurdistan flag.
As hundreds waited to say their final goodbye, some voiced anger at what they perceived to be the government’s failure to prevent the attack.
Shouts of “shame on you, Erdogan” rang out while others hurled water bottles at police who kept their distance from rowdy crowds for fear of violence.
One distraught mother wailed: “I lost my children, now I will never see them again.”
Erdogan told reporters the death toll was now 51 with 94 hurt in the attack.
A total of 69 people remained in hospital, with 17 in critical condition.
Health Minister Recep Akdag said a large number of those injured were women and children.
‘You will not succeed’
The bride and groom were reportedly from the mainly Kurdish region of Siirt further to the east and had themselves been uprooted due to the flare-up in violence with Kurdish militants.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said its members had been present at the wedding, also attended by many women and children.
Erdogan said such attacks aimed to sow division between Turkey’s different groups including Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen and to “spread incitement along ethnic and religious lines”.
Many jihadists see Kurds as one of their main enemies, with Kurdish militias playing a significant role in the fight against IS on the ground in Syria.
A defiant Erdogan said there was “no difference” between the group of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen – whom he blames for the failed coup bid – the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “and Daesh (IS), the likely perpetrator of the attack in Gaziantep”.
Our country and our nation have again only one message to those who attack us — you will not succeed!
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Gaziantep would show the same spirit it had shown in 1921, when it defeated French forces in Turkey’s Independence War which led to the word Gazi (war hero) being added to its original name of Antep.
World leaders condemned the suicide bombing, with French President Francois Hollande denouncing the “vile” incident and German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling the attack “cowardly and underhand”.
The United States also condemned the “heinous attack”. “We stand by our ally and partner Turkey and reaffirm our commitment to defeating the common threat of terrorism,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
The pope urged the faithful to pray for the victims while UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for the perpetrators to be “quickly identified and brought to justice”.
‘More active’ Syria role
A major city just 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the Syrian border, Gaziantep has become a hub for Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country.
But as well as refugees and opposition activists, there have long been fears it was home to a significant jihadist presence.
IS suicide bombers have carried out several attacks in Istanbul this year, while Kurdish militants have hit targets in both Ankara and Istanbul.
On Thursday, 12 people were killed in three bombings blamed on the PKK, who Erdogan said had killed 70 members of the security forces in the last month alone.
The blast in Gaziantep came just hours after Yildirim said Ankara would play a “more active” role in efforts to solve the Syrian civil war.
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Aged between 12 and 14 … Just shows evil has no age .. How can you protect against that
the sad thing is he may not have willingly worn it -
Adults should know better, but a kid that young has clearly been severely indoctrinated (as have all of Daesh’s foot soldiers). Tragic and heinous attack.
He may not have known what he was wearing
There are a lot of reports of young children/teens being manipulated into performing suicide bombings, with their families and friends being threatened. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to be put in that position.
@Steve McMahon-By stopping immigration from this Ideology masquerading as a religion we can at least partially protect ourselves ,-but it’s coming our way for sure under existing conditions.
Erdogan appears to have incredible investigative powers, has definitively solved this one a few hours after the event. Just like the coup, where the entire civil service was gutted a couple of days later.
@Michael Garvey-But Erdogan does have his admirers,-one being What-difference-does-it-make-now-Hillary Clinton!
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—-”Clinton clearly views Erdoğan as a formidable leader, having described him in her memoir, “Living History,” as an “ambitious, forceful, devout, and effective politician.—”
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http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-future-of-us-turkey-relations.aspx?pageID=449&nID=103093&NewsCatID=396
He prob is forceful, devout and ambitious.
And now he has said they have no idea what age the perpetrator was
So Erdogan is saying this.Ya,I’ll believe it.
Equating the PKK to Daesh is a nice slice of doublethink and propaganda from Erdogan alright.
Wonder if the lady who is mentironed above is the mother who lost 4 of her children ….horrendous loosing one child is unthinkable but 4 …I have no words.
“The president said the Islamic State group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack, the deadliest in 2016, that targeted a celebration attended by many Kurds.”
Yeah, because I hear that out of the two of them it’s IS that hates the Kurds the most, and not Erdogan. Uh huh.
These so called Islamists are the devil’s disiples,nothing else.They are not Muslims and have no right whatsoever to quote the Koran or shout allahu akbar! None ! So next time when young men and women are in their bedroom on their computer being brainwashed on the ideology that they should carry out their “duty “to Muhammad by murdering innocent people,realise that you are doing it for the Devil ok No one else.you are NOT Muslims. You are vicious murdering brutes with no rational cause and are not going to be with 7 lovely brides in paradise. You are just going to burn in hell.
@Gerry Fallon-The Koran the Islamists use to justify themselves is the same Koran that all other Muslim use and Muslims will not tolerate any revision of its contents saying that the commands of Allah are unalterable.
All Muslims pay the Annual 2.5% ZAKAT Charity tax amounting to over $200 Billion and 1/8th of this is earmarked by Sharia Law for Jihad against non-Muslims and apostates. This is stated unequivocally in the Hanbook of Sharia Law called ‘The Reliance of the Traveller’ see below and link.All Muslims know where this money goes to and so all Muslims are complicit in Global Terror against non-Muslims and Apostaes.
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—-”H8.17: Those Fighting for Allah/Category 7
The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged.—”
http://islamexposed.blogspot.ie/2010/08/reliance-of-traveller-handbook-of.html
Strange for ISIS to be attacking their biggest ally?
One of their biggest allies, I think.
Anyway, is their any rational thinking to be expected from them?
Vile pigs
Watched some of the funerals of the victims on Turkish TV would break your heart so many small coffins …..one of a 3 month old baby . The heartbroken mother who lost 4 of her children said that what stopped her from taking her own life to be with her children was that she had a child still living who needed her.
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