At least 50 people were killed and nearly a hundred injured after a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up at a Kurdish wedding in Gazientep this weekend, the deadliest attack on Turkish soil in a year that has already seen Istanbul’s historic district and its international airport targeted by Isis.
Isis is the primary suspect for this latest attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, as Turkish officials told the Financial Times that they believed the attack was in retaliation for Kurdish advances in Northern Syria, where a US-backed militia chased Isis out of Manbij about two weeks ago. The bride and groom survived, according to the local governor’s office.
The bombing, late on Saturday night, came after nearly 20 smaller attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ party since a failed coup on July 15, highlighting the twin threats Turkey faces from rival militants who are fighting for influence just south of its border.