July 21, 2015

GYV condemns Suruç attack, calls for measures against terror threats

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) has strongly condemned what it called “a nefarious attack” near the Syrian border that killed at least 31 people, calling on authorities to take urgent steps to prevent such terrorist attacks.

“We hope urgent measures are taken against every kind of terrorist attack in order to prevent other such saddening incidents and those who carried out this attack are called to account as soon as possible,” a statement from GYV said on Monday night.

Turkish authorities suspected the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group was behind the apparent suicide bombing Monday in the Suruç district of Şanlıufa that killed 31 people and wounded nearly 100.

Turkish officials vowed to strike back at those behind the attack in the city of Suruç targeting a group of political activists who wanted to help the shattered Syrian city of Kobani, a bombing that turned a moment of hope into a scene of horror.

"We are face to face with a terrorism incident," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. "We have the willpower to find and certainly punish those who are responsible."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but a senior government official told The Associated Press that Turkey suspected the ISIL group was behind the blast as retaliation for Turkey's steps against the militants.

Published on Today's Zaman, 20 July 2015, Monday