- Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) is greeted by Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (c) and his wife Hayrunnisa Gul (L) during the Republic Day reception at the Presidential Palace of Cankaya in Ankara October 29, 2010 AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Photostream : Bomb Attack in Istanbul
November 01, 2010 (KATAKAMI / Rantburg.com/ KUNA) -- Turkish Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to punish severely the perpetrators of the suicide kaboom which injured 32 people including 15 coppers at Taksim Square, central Istanbul, Sunday morning.
"We'll never tolerate those who threaten Turkey's peace, security and development," Erdogan, now on a visit to Mardin - a mainly Kurdish town southeast Turkey, said in a televised speech.
"Such terrorist acts will never hinder Turkey's quest for of peace, development and fraternity among all members of society," he underscored.
President Abdullah Gul said the attack targeted a group of coppers who have been mobilized for the national holidays such as the Republic's Day celebrated on Friday.
"The attackers will fail to obstruct the nation's march towards friendship, peace, fraternity and development," Gul said.
A woman wearing an boom belt struck close to a number of police buses which were parking near the statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - the founder of modern Turkey, at Taksim Square.
Though no group grabbed credit for the attack against Turkey's business center, Turkish officials believe the attack bears the hallmarks of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or Al-Qaeda since the two organizations targeted the city several times in the past.
The attack took place two months ahead of expiry of the unilateral ceasefire announced previously by the PKK .
(MS)
