United Nations—UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon decried Sunday the suicide bombing that killed 51 people at a wedding in southeastern Turkey, and called for swift punishment for the perpetrators.
The United States also blasted the “heinous” bombing and offered its assistance to Ankara in the fight against “the scourge of terrorism.”
“We extend heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of the victims and we wish a full and speedy recovery for the many who were wounded,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.
“We stand by our ally and partner Turkey and reaffirm our commitment to defeating the common threat of terrorism,” Toner said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that a child as young as 12 carried out Saturday’s attack at a wedding in the town of Gaziantep near the Syrian border, probably for the Islamic State group.
A spokesman for the National Security Council, based in the White House, condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”
“The perpetrators of this barbaric act cynically and cowardly targeted a wedding, killing dozens and leaving scores wounded,” NSC spokesman Ned Price said.
“We are in close touch with Turkish authorities, and Vice President Biden will visit Ankara on Wednesday, August 24 to reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey, our valued NATO Ally and partner, to confront the scourge of terrorism.”