TURKEY: Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan tells members of his AK Party the death toll from the twin bomb attacks in the border town of Reyhanli is now 51 and again blames the Syrian governmen

Record ID: 217633

  • Title: TURKEY: Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan tells members of his AK Party the death toll from the twin bomb attacks in the border town of Reyhanli is now 51 and again blames the Syrian governmen
  • Date: 14th May 2013
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (MAY 14, 2013) (REUTERS) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN SALUTING MEMBERS OF HIS AK PARTY DEPUTIES LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING: "Twin car bombs went off, killing 51 brothers. Forty-one of the victims were identified and funeral ceremonies were held for 39 victims. Thirty-six of them are Turkish citize
  • Embargoed: 29th May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAE7H64VHZCVS3Q1NM8CK2ZYD1Q
  • Story Text: Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday (May 14) again vowed retaliation for the twin car bomb attacks on the Turkish border town of Reyhanli.
    In a speech to lawmakers from his ruling AK party in parliament in the Turkish capital, Ankara, the premier revised the death toll upwards to 51.
    Turkey has accused a group with links to Syrian intelligence of carrying out the bombings in Reyhanli on Saturday (May 11).
    Reyhanli is close to the Syrian border, which has seen increased friction between Ankara and Damascus over cross-border shelling from Syria and the downing of a Turkish warplane by a Syrian air defence unit.
    Erdogan gave additional details of those killed.

    "Twin car bombs went off, killing 51 brothers. Forty-one of the victims were identified and funeral ceremonies were held for 39 victims. Thirty-six of them are Turkish citizens and three of them are Syrian," he said.
    Erdogan again relayed the details of the investigation into the attacks, saying the perpetrators were Turkish, but with links to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

    "We know that those who carried out this attack were linked with Syrian regime and this is a group based in Turkey, they are Turkish citizens. Thirteen people were detained and investigation is underway," he said.
    The prime minister again threatened a robust response to the attacks, as he had done when visiting the blast site on Monday (May 13).

    "We will not be unable to respond to this attack. Sooner or later we will give back as good as we get. We have the power and will to do that, but we will remain restrained, act like a big state and we will not be lured," Erdogan told lawmakers.
    The Reyhanli attacks have increased fears that Syria's civil war is dragging in neighbouring states, despite a renewed joint diplomatic move by the U.S. and Russia to bring the warring parties and their supporters back to the negotiating table.
    An estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the more than two years of violent unrest against Assad, which has become full blown civil war.
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