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Friday, March 29, 2024

Dozens killed in Istanbul airport terror attack

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More than 36 people have been killed and a further 147 wounded in an attack at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey.

The attack saw three suspected Islamic State (IS) radicals arrive in a taxi and detonate explosives after they had opened fire.

Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim has said there are foreigners are among the victims and called for “global co-operation” in tackling terrorism.
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He branded the atrocity a “heinous planned attack that targeted innocent people” and said it appears IS was behind it.

“The findings of our security forces point at the Daesh organisation as the perpetrators of this terror attack,” he said. “Even though the indications suggest Daesh, our investigations are continuing.”

Police are believed to have returned fire in an attempt to minimise the number of casualties.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack, which took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, “shows that terrorism strikes with no regard to faith and values”.

Calling on the international community to take a firm stand against terrorism, he said: “Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end.”

Eyewitness Will Carter who was inside the terminal, said he heard explosions. S peaking to Radio 5Live he said: “I saw a fireball and some of the ceiling came down – just before there was panic and people running.”

BBC correspondent Mark Lowen was grounded on the runway after landing at the airport and said he was held on the tarmac for around four hours before being allowed off the aircraft and into the terminal.

Reporting from the scene he said: “You can see how chaotic the situation is here. Huge crowds of people are trying to get into the terminal building.”

Flights in and out of the airport, which is one of the busiest in the world, were suspended after the attack but Mr Yildirim said air traffic had now resumed.

Turkey has suffered several deadly attacks in recent months which have been blamed on Kurdish separatists or IS.

Several of the bombings targeted areas popular with tourists while another attack on a military barracks in Ankara killed 28 people.

The latest attack comes just months after Brussels was hit by suicide bombings at the airport and on the Metro.

IS claimed responsibility for the attacks on March 22, which killed 32 and wounded another 270.

Turkey has suffered several deadly attacks in recent months which have been blamed on Kurdish separatists or IS.

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