ANKARA
Turkish President Ahmet Davutoglu has said his government would not allow Turkey to drift into instability, after Monday's attack in southeastern Suruc district that killed dozens of people.
"Despite the crisis and chaos in the region, we will not allow Turkey to drift into instability," Davutoglu said on his official Twitter account late Tuesday.
The prime minister reiterated that Turkey will not brook any compromises in its fight against terrorism.
“Daesh and other terrorist organizations will never achieve their targets,” he said.
Monday’s attack took place at a community center in Suruc, across the Syrian border from the town of Kobani, which had been the scene of a series of intense clashes between Kurdish forces and Daesh since last September.
The Ministry of Health announced Tuesday that the death toll was 32.
It apparently targeted members of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations who had gathered in the garden of the local municipality’s Amara Cultural Center during their press conference, footage showed.
Media reports said the activists had been planning to engage in efforts to rebuild Kobani after it was devastated by clashes.
In his Twitter message, Davutoglu also criticized pro-Kurdish politicians without naming any names, saying: “I call on those who seek to leverage death of young souls for politicking even as they have obvious links with terrorists [PKK]: Enough of your staining politics with blood.”
The prime minister on Tuesday had called on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party to “be prudent with their remarks” after the party urged its own branches and the nation to take precautions to protect themselves in the wake of the Suruc attack.
HDP co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas said Tuesday media reports suggesting the HDP was calling on citizens to arm were misleading, and such accusations against the party were “as bitter as the massacre itself”.
Demirtas had earlier said his party had no “organic relationship” with the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
Pro-Kurdish politicians criticize the government for not doing enough to fight Daesh.
HDP offices and rallies have been targeted by attacks by suspects with alleged Daesh links in the buildup to the June 7 parliamentary election.
