Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called an emergency security meeting in Istanbul. Davutoglu condemns today’s suicide bombing as “inhumane” and vows to continue to fight “centers of terrorism.”
“The investigation is ongoing, we’ll understand the incident as soon as possible. This bitter incident shows once more the rightness of our approach,” he said in a statement.
The US embassy in Turkey says on Twitter it was “saddened” and “shocked” by the attack, which French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault calls “despicable and cowardly” in a statement.
Washington says it “stands in solidarity” with Turkey in combating “the common threat of terrorism.”
US State Department spokesman John Kirby says the attack is the latest in a series of what he describes as “indefensible violence targeting innocent people” throughout Turkey.
Kirby says in a statement that “these acts of terrorism only reinforce our determination to support all those across the region working to promote peace and reconciliation.”
— AP, AFP contributed to this report.
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From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 19, 2016
