ISTANBUL: Twenty-eight people were killed on Monday in a suicide attack in the Turkish town of Suruc near the border with Syria, the interior ministry said.
“A terrorist attack took place in the town of Suruc in Sanliurfa today (Monday) around 12 pm local time,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
An official in the prime minister's office said 28 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in Suruc, which is home to a large number of Syrian refugees.
“We are calling on all for common sense in the face of this terrorist attack targeting our country's unity,” the ministry said.
Preliminary evidence suggests an Islamic State suicide attack caused the blast that ripped through the Turkish border town of Suruc on Monday, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters.
“Our initial evidence shows that this was a suicide attack by the Islamic State,” one of the officials, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.
Suruc is just across the border from the Syrian city of Kobani, the scene of fierce battles between Kurdish groups and the Islamic State (IS) group.
Kobani was the IS group's biggest defeat last year since it established control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. The city has become a symbol of Kurdish resistance against the group.
Private Turkish Doğan News Agency (DHA) earlier said the blast occurred at a cultural center while a political group was giving a statement to the press on Kobani's reconstruction.
News reports said 300 people from the Federation of Socialist Youths association were staying at the cultural center and were preparing to travel to Kobani to help with the rebuilding. Kobani was also the scene of surprise IS attacks last month that killed more than 200 people.
Pakistan condemns Turkey suicide attack
Pakistan has condemned in strong words the terrorist attack in Turkey today.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that took place in Suruc, Sanliurfa Province of Turkey, today, in which so many precious lives have been lost," said Qazi Khalilullah, Foreign Office spokesperson.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families," he added.
"Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the brotherly people and government of Turkey and pray for the speediest recovery of those wounded in this abhorrent attack," Khalilullah said.
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