Egypt condemns terror attack in Suruc, Turkey

Ahram Online , Tuesday 21 Jul 2015

The terror attack in Suruc, near the border with Syria, killed at least 30 people and wounded over 100 others

Suruc
People help the wounded after an explosion in the southeastern Turkish city of Suruc near the Syrian border, Turkey, Monday, July 20, 2015 (Photo: AP)

Egypt has condemned Monday's suicide bombing in Turkey that killed at least 30 people and was blamed on Islamic State militants.

The foreign ministry said Cairo "condemns all terror attacks that are taking place around the world," in a statement about the violence that occurred in the Turkish of Suruc, near the border with Syria.

The bomb attack, which hit a cultural centre in the south eastern town, injured over 100 people.

Egypt reasserted the importance of "strong, strict and clear stance from all nations of the world to stand together to combat terrorism, dry out its resources and eradicate it from its roots," the statement added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the assault as an "act of terror," and Turkish officials say the violence was expected to be the work of the Islamic State group, an ultra-hardline group which has seized large swathes in Syria and Iraq.

Relations between Cairo and Ankara have been strained since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi after mass protests against his rule, with Erdogan emerging as one of the fiercest international critics of his removal

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has maintained close ties with Turkey's ruling AK Party, which Erdogan co-founded.

Turkey and Qatar were the only regional countries to back the now-outlawed Brotherhood after Morsi's removal, providing refuge for several of the group's fugitive members.

Cairo has accused Ankara of meddling in Egyptian affairs as well as "fuelling unrest and creating instability" in the region. 

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