Off the wire
• Three sentenced for polluting water in central China  • 2nd Ld-Writethru: Blast in Istanbul kills 10, Turkish president blames Syrian suicide bomber  • Ongoing war in Yemen further endangering children's lives: UN  • Jailed Indonesian Muslim cleric appeals against his sentence  • Close to 19,000 refugee, migrant maritime arrivals in Europe in first days of new year  • Beijing endured unusually rainy, smoggy, cloudy 2015  • Refugee crisis delays Denmark's tax reform  • 2 Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces in West Bank  • Xi calls for strengthened discipline in strictly governing the Party  • Report shows optimism over supply-side reform's impact on GDP growth  
You are here: 　 Home

Pakistan condemns terrorist attack in Istanbul

Xinhua, January 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned a bomb blast in Istanbul, which according to initial reports has killed and injured dozens of people.

Turkish officials have been quoted as saying that a suicide bomber, identified as a Syrian, was behind the deadly explosion that hit Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet Square.

"We extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones and pray for the speediest recovery of the injured," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said Pakistan stood in strong solidarity with the fraternal government and people of Turkey in their struggle against terrorism.

"We are certain that Turkey would overcome this scourge with its characteristic resolve and determination," it said.

Turkey has suffered from Islamic State (IS) attacks. In July 2015, a bombing attack in the border town of Suruc in southeastern Turkey left 34 pro-Kurdish and left-wing activists killed. In October, a huge explosion in the capital Ankara killed 86 and injured 186. Both were blamed on the IS.

While battling the IS, Turkey is also cracking down the home-grown Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), a terrorist group that has also been blacklisted by the United States and the European Union.

The Turkish military said on Sunday that a total of 448 PKK militants had been killed in counter-terrorism operations in southeastern Turkey, where tensions have been running high since mid-December. Enditem