A bomb exploded at an outdoor wedding ceremony in southeastern Turkey late Saturday night, causing multiple casualties, officials said.
Gaziantep Province Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said a blast during the wedding in the city of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, was a terror attack. President Tayyip Erdogan said it was likely that Islamic State militants had carried out the late-night attack. The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the death toll and the governor’s office was expected to make an announcement.
Turkey has been rocked by a wave of attacks in the past year that have either been claimed by Kurds linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party — known by its acronym PKK — or were blamed on ISIS.
The attack comes as the country is still reeling from last month’s failed coup attempt, which the government has blamed on U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, interviewed on NTV television, said, “This was a barbaric attack. It appears to be a suicide attack. All terror groups, the PKK, Daesh [ISIS]…are targeting Turkey. But God willing, we will overcome.”
Mehmet Tascioglu, a local journalist, told NTV television, that the huge explosion could be heard in many parts of the city.
By: AP
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