MEDIA RELEASE
ATA-A condemns the terrible suicide attack on Turkish and Kurdish youth in the border town of Suruc. Last night, Australian time, a suicide bomber exploded a device killing 31 young people, and injuring over a 100 more, who had gathered in Suruc, on the border with Syria. These young activists were planning to help rebuild Kobane, to provide a library and park for the war torn city, and its beleaguered people. The suicide bombing was an attack on not just those humanitarian workers, but on the Turkish people, targeted by the ISIS death cult.
We should be under no illusion. This was an attack on Muslim youth, living in a Muslim country, none of whom had any hostile intentions toward ISIS or indeed the people living in Syria. ISIS has shown by this action that its motivation has nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with ideologically driven terror.
The Turkish Government has vowed to strengthen controls along the 1000km border with Syria and Iraq. However, the border with Syria and Iraq has historically proven to be very difficult to police, as it was long used by the PKK to cross into Turkey to conduct terror attacks throughout the last 40 years, costing Turkey 30 thousand civilians lives.
Our hearts and our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in the cause of bringing peace in the Middle East.
Australian Turkish Advocacy Alliance
