Canada strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district that has killed 10 people and wounded 15 others, the federal government said Tuesday.
“Canada stands with the Turkish people in the global struggle against terrorism in all its forms,” Foreign Affairs Minister Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in a statement.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”
ISIS blamed
A suicide bomber affiliated with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) detonated a bomb in a park near Istanbul’s Blue Mosque popular with tourists Tuesday morning. The blast, which could be heard from several neighbourhoods, killed nine German tourists and one Peruvian. Most of the injured are also German. There are no reports of any Canadian casualties.
The private Dogan news agency reported that one Norwegian and one Peruvian were also among the wounded, and Seoul’s foreign ministry told reporters via text message that a South Korean had a finger injury. The Norwegian foreign ministry told Norway’s news agency NTB that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said two of the wounded were in serious condition.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the attacker as a “foreign national.” Kurtulmus had previously said the perpetrator was born in 1988 and was a Syrian national, but the Dogan news agency claimed the bomber was born in Saudi Arabia.
‘Turkey won’t backtrack’
“Turkey won’t backtrack in its struggle against Daesh by even one step,” Davutoglu said, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym. “This terror organization, the assailants and all of their connections will be found and they will receive the punishments they deserve.”
Last year, Turkey, which had been criticised for not doing enough to curb ISIS, agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the militant group. Turkey opened its bases to U.S. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in Syria and has carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself.
It has also moved to tighten security along its 900-kilometre border with Syria in a bid to stem the flow of militants.
Turkey’s state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences.
Germany and Denmark have warned their citizens to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. Canada has not issued a nationwide advisory for Turkey. However, Global Affairs Canada urges Canadians in Turkey to “exercise a high degree of caution due to crime, the threat of terrorist attacks and ongoing demonstrations throughout the country.”
With files from The Canadian Press
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.