Deadly suicide bombing in Turkish border city close to Syria left at least 30 people dead

Wounded people after a deadly blast in the city of Suruc,
Turkey
(Image: Arab News)

At least 30 people were killed at over 100 people, mostly students, were injured in a terrible bombing attack that occurred on Monday, 20 July, in the city of Suruc, in southeast Turkey. An explosion went off at about 12 p.m. local time (9000 GMT) in the cultural center, during an event of Turkish and Kurdish youth dedicated to the issue of reconstruction of the Syrian city of Kobane, a scene of fierce battles between the ISIS militants and Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Turkish city of Suruc is about 10 km from the Syrian border and close to the city of Kobane.

Turkish Ministry of Interior stated the terrorist attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Turkish officials blame ISIS militants for the bombing. Turkish Ministry of Interior officials and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned an attack and vowed that the perpetrators would be found and held accountable as soon as possible. The scene is sealed off; security forces were deployed to the area, as the investigation is currently ongoing.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has sent three ministers to the region, among them Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Minister of Interior Sabahattin Ozturk and Labor Minister Faruk Celik.

Footage from the scene after the blast showed dozens of bodies and wounded people mostly youth laying on the ground. Panic spread after the attack, as dozens of ambulances flocked to the scene to bring the injured to the nearby hospitals for treatment. Eyewitnesses claim the explosion was extremely huge.

Ambulances on the territory of a cultural center, where
the blast occured
(Image: The Guardian)

Representative of a Kurdish Party, ruling the city of Surus, stated that the body of a young female suicide bomber who carried out an explosion was already found on the scene. The girl was allegedly recruited by ISIS, as there are other evidences of ISIS involvement of this attack, stated Turkish officials.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently in Cyprus with an officials visit, was briefed on the investigation He declared in his official statement: “I personally and on behalf of my nation condemn and curse those who perpetrated this savagery”.

Explosion in Suruc occurred weeks after Turkey deployed additional military forces and equipment to the areas along the border with Turkey in order to protect Turkey. Turkish officials stated that Turley does not plan any invasions into Syrian territory, but it is ready to protect its own borders if it will be necessary.

Suruc is a predominantly Kurdish city, and the troops of Peshmerga (Kurdish resistance fighters), who were fighting against ISIS militants in Kobane and in other Syrian and Iraqi towns, passed through Suruc on their way to Kobane. Turkish officials blame ISIS for carrying out Monday bombing in Suruc as an act of retaliation for Turkish government’s participation in military operations of the Western and Arab coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.