Attack in Gaziantep condemned by leaders, political parties

An attack was carried out on Monday night, killing nine civilians and wounding dozens in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, a city close to Turkey's border with Syria. Afterwards, messages were issued by Turkey's politicians and civil society groups to strongly condemn the attack. "I curse the perpetrators of this felonious attack, which targeted innocent civilians, including children. This massacre committed against children in the prime of their lives shows us once again how terrorism is a crime against humanity," Gul said in a written message, adding, "I hope the entire world will see the real faces of the perpetrators of this act and how far they are from humanitarian values." In a written statement issued on Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "The deplorable incident in Gaziantep has shown once again that terrorism does not distinguish between children and adults, and it targets civilians as well. Terrorism, which targets our unity and peace, is doomed to lose sooner or later in the face of the determination of our beloved people and security forces." For his part, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that details of the terrorist attack in regards to a possible Syrian connection were under investigation. "If we have to draw an analogy, there are similarities between al-Assad's killing of 200 people on a single feast day and the terrorist organization's mentality and method against civilian people," Davutoglu added. Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu also made a statement, saying that all political parties and non-governmental organizations should take a common position against terrorism. Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas said that he clearly condemned and cursed the attack against civilians in Gaziantep.