Nuland says US would help Turkey on border protection, if asked

US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a press briefing that if her government is asked, it will work on ways to step up border security bilaterally or through NATO after Monday's blast at the Cilvegozu border gate in the southern province of Hatay, which killed at least 14 people and injured a dozen others. "The US government has not been asked for security support at the border by our ally Turkey, but if we were to have that request, bilaterally or through NATO, we would want to do what we could. But we have not had a request, to my knowledge," Nuland said. Stating that the Turkish government is continuing with the investigation, Nuland added, "There is no excuse for such a violent act at a peaceful border gate. It is clear from this incident, as well as from the ongoing violence in Syria, that al-Assad is targeting opposition leaders."