Syria accuses Turkey of terrorism growth in the region

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Turkey's statement about the entry through Turkey into Syria of a suspected female accomplice of extremist militants behind the recent Paris attacks indicates Ankara's involvement in facilitating the flow of terrorists into the conflict-stricken country, state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian statement came shortly after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said early Monday that the 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene, suspected of links to the recent Paris terror attacks, entered Syria from Turkey on Jan. 8.

"The Turkish foreign ministry's remarks constitute an overt confession that Turkey is serving as the main conduit for terrorists sneaking in and out of Syria," the Syrian statement said.

"Easy movement of the terrorists through the Turkish territories makes the Turkish government accomplice of the terrorist groups and makes Turkey a direct partner in shedding the blood in Syria and elsewhere in the world," the statement said.

It urged the international community to "actively work to put an end to the destructive Turkish polices, which are directly responsible for the growth of the terrorist activities in the region."

Earlier in the day, Cavusoglu was quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency as saying that Hayat Boumeddiene, wife of Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four hostages at a supermarket in Paris on Friday, arrived in Turkey from Madrid on Jan. 2 before leaving for Syria on Jan. 8.

She stayed at a hotel in Kadikoy district in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul, Cavusoglu said, stressing that Ankara notified Paris even before French authorities asked for information.

The terror attacks started in Paris on Wednesday when gunmen raided the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. Endit