ISIS bombing in Turkey leaves at least 28 dead

At least 28 killed and 100 were injured in a ‘terrorist attack’ on Turkish town near Kobani, which is in southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border.

Two senior Turkish officials told Reuters they have received evidence saying it was a suicide blast carried out by Islamic State militants.

“Our initial evidence shows that this was a suicide attack by the Islamic State,” one of the officials said.

Another official told Reuters that Islamic State appeared to have been responsible and that the Suruc blast was “retaliation for the Turkish government’s efforts to fight terrorism.”

The casualty toll in the attack was provided by the Turkish prime minister’s office, but there is a concen that the death toll could rise, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

“We call on everyone to stand together and remain calm in the face of this terrorist attack which targets the unity of our country,” the ministry added.

photo/Islamic State flag

“I saw more than 20 bodies. I think the number of wounded is more than 50. They are still being put into ambulances,” a witness told Reuters by telephone shortly after the blast.

“Ambulances and private cars are picking up the wounded. Many were killed – 20 or 30. I am going to the hospital to help out,” Adham Basho, a local politician, also said.

Islamic State attacks killed more than 200 people in this area last month.

According to HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) deputy Leyla Güven, it was “a big massacre” and the “probability of a suicide bomber is very high.”]

The explosion targeted at least 300 young people of the Socialist Youth Associations Federation (SGDF), who had gathered in Amara Culture Center, Turkish media say.

“There was a very violent explosion, we shook. There was a conference happening,” Mahmut Boke, a municipal worker in Suruc, told Reuters by telephone.