Iran condemns terrorist bomb attacks in Turkey

Rasa – Iran has condemned recent deadly bomb attacks in Turkey, expressing sympathy with the Turkish government and nation.

News ID: 422775

Date: 18 August 2016 - 21:29

RNA – On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi slammed the bombings in the city of Van and the town of Bitlis, both in Turkey’s troubled southeast, and offered the Iranian people and government’s condolences to the bereaved.

“As we have repeatedly declared, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns use of force and any act of violence or terror in any form and anywhere and disapproves of the killing of innocent people and regards that as a crime against humanity,” the Iranian official stated.

He also warned that "evil hands" have intensified desperate efforts to create insecurity in the region, especially in Muslim countries, calling on the government and people in the region to be vigilant against such destructive and inhumane acts.

Qasemi added that such attacks would not serve the terrorists’ inhumane goals and would instead increase unity among people in the region in their fight against such brutal acts.

Three deadly bombings targeting police and military forces hit Turkey on Wednesday and Thursday. They were all blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey’s southeast.

Two car bombings in Van and Elazig, less than 12 hours apart, killed at least six people in total and injured more than 250 others.

Three soldiers and a guard also lost their lives in a third attack that targeted a military convoy in the southeastern town of Bitlis on Thursday.

A shaky ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK that had stood since 2013 was declared null and void by the militants following Turkish strikes against the group.

Turkey’s operations began in the wake of a deadly July 2015 bombing in the southern town of Suruç, which the Turkish government blamed on the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK militants, who accuse Ankara of supporting ISIL, engaged in a series of reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting the Turkish military operations.

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