At Least 30 Dead In Wedding Bombing in Turkey

A bomb attack targeting an outdoor wedding party in southeastern Turkey, near the border with Syria, killed at least 30 people and wounded almost a hundred others, according to Turkish officials. Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said the “barbaric” attack took place in the city of Gaziantep, which has been a crossing point into Syria. Other officials said they believed that Islamic State (ISIS) was responsible for the attack, which appeared to be a suicide bombing. Tureky has been out hit by a wave of attacks over the past year that have either been claimed by Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed PKK party, or were blamed on Islamic State. In June, Turkish officials blamed ISIS for an attack on Istanbul’s main airport with guns and bombs that left 44 people dead. Earlier this week, a string of bombings blamed on the PKK targeted police and soldiers, killing at least 12 people. The attacks by the PKK seemed to indicate the end of a fragile, two and a half year peace process between the Turkish government and the PKK, and the resumption of the three decades of conflict between them. The latest attack on the wedding party comes just a few weeks after a failed coup attempt in Turkey, which has led to tens of thousands of arrests and dismissals. The government blamed the attempted coup on US-based Muslim cleric Fathullah Gulen and his followers, and has demanded Gulen’s extradition from the US.