Türkiye: Suicide bombing, at least 41 casualties

(Baonghean.vn) - On March 19, at least 5 people were killed and 36 others were injured in a suicide bombing in the tourist center of Istanbul, Türkiye.

The city’s governor, Vasip Şahin, confirmed the explosion took place near the local governor’s office on Istiklal Street, on Saturday morning, March 19 local time. He also said the suicide bomber was killed, and three of the injured were in critical condition.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Israeli citizens were injured in the bombing.

Ambulances and police immediately arrived at the scene of the bombing.

A witness reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing several injured people lying on the ground before fleeing the scene. Türkiye's public broadcaster, RTÜK, has banned the incident from airing.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. However, Turkey believes it was an act of retaliation by a terrorist group against the government.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş condemned the attack and said Türkiye would continue its fight against terrorism. He said:

"They want the Turkish people to lock themselves in their homes. They want citizens not to be able to leave their homes. They can do whatever they want, but our fight against terrorism will continue in the most decisive way, both at home and abroad. We hope that the whole world, first and foremost Europe, will cooperate with us in the fight against terrorism."

On Thursday, March 17, Germany recalled both its ambassador to Ankara and its consul general in Istanbul because of the risk of an "imminent attack". German schools and the Goethe Institute in Istanbul were also closed. The governor of Istanbul on Friday accused the German diplomatic mission of overreacting when "information about the terrorist situation has not been confirmed".

Türkiye is currently on red alert after a series of deadly terrorist attacks. More than 200 people have been killed in five bombings since July 2015.

Last Sunday, March 13, a suicide bombing killed 37 people at a bus station in Ankara, the Turkish capital. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the bombings, calling them retaliation for ongoing security operations in the southeast and threatening that attacks would continue.

Thanh Hien

(According to Theguardian)