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Military operation outside Turkiye 'possible' after Istanbul attack, Erdogan says

November 17, 2022 at 12:22 pm

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkiye on November 13, 2022 [TUR Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Anadolu Agency]

The Turkish army may launch a military operation outside the country’s borders following the terrorist attack that killed six people and injured at least 81 others in the city of Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

“Now investigations are underway regarding the attack, and in light of the results, we will do what needs to be done, and the world must realise that,” Erdogan said.

He stressed that Turkiye will continue to implement its strategy to eliminate the threat of terrorism from its roots. Ankara, he explained, expects its friends and allies to support its legitimate struggle in the fight against terrorism.

“The parties that support the terrorist organisation under the pretext of fighting ISIS [Daesh] are also partners in every drop of blood shed,” Erdogan said in an apparent reference to the US’ backing of Kurdish groups in Syria which Ankara claims have ties with terrorist organisations.

“I reaffirm that there is no place for any form of terrorism in the future of our country and our region,” he continued.

The Istanbul attack has once again showed the bloody and ugly face of terrorist organisations, he said, adding that the Turkish security forces arrested the perpetrator within a very short period.

The Turkish government accused the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) of planning the explosion in Istiklal Street in Istanbul, which killed six people and injured 81 others.

READ: Condemnations of Istanbul terror attack pour in from across Middle East