Guinean leader visits bomb-damaged Turkish parliament

By Ismail Cimen

ANKARA

Guinean President Alpha Conde used a visit to Turkey on Tuesday to witness the bomb damage caused to the Turkish parliament during the July 15 coup attempt.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman hosted the Guinean president and his delegation, giving them a tour of the bombed parliament building in Ankara.

"It was important for me to visit because we, as the people of Guinea, had to show that [Guinea] is in solidarity with Turkey," the president said.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, is accused of organizing, planning and staging the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey that martyred 248 people and injured more than 2,200 others.

Ankara has also said FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.