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Turkey: Concerns over Rise in Terrorist Attacks | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reuters


Ankara – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country was under attack of various terrorist organizations, adding that developments in Turkey were not separate from what was happening in Syria and Iraq.

In remarks made in a statement following a car bomb attack in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri that left at least 13 soldiers killed and 56 others wounded, Erdogan offered his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

A car bomb ripped through a bus carrying off-duty military personnel, an attack Erdogan blamed on Kurdish militants.

“The style and goals of the attacks clearly show the aim of the separatist terrorist organization is to trip up Turkey, cut its strength and have it focus its energy and forces elsewhere,” Erdogan said in a statement.

“We know that these attacks we are being subjected to are not independent from the developments in our region, especially in Iraq and Syria”, he added.

The Turkish president noted that terrorist attacks were targeting the country as a whole. He also warned that terror groups were trying to hamper Turkey’s progress and development.

“Terror attacks target all 79 million citizens together with soldiers and police”, he stated.

“Turkey is under the threat of attacks by terrorist groups, especially the separatist terrorist organization is trying to do its best to block Turkey’s progress,” Erdogan added.

Saturday’s blast near a university campus comes a week after deadly twin bombings targeted police in Istanbul.

Erdogan confirmed that 13 people had been killed and 55 wounded in Saturday’s blast. Officials later raised the number of injured to 56, including four in critical condition.

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the attack on Saturday, an official at the Foreign Ministry said.
The source reiterated Kingdom’s support and solidarity with Turkey against terrorism, offering condolences to the victims’ families, the government and Turkish people, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.