NATO declares ’strong solidarity’ with Turkey amid attacks
BRUSSELS - Associated Press
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Turkey’s NATO partners has said they stand "in strong solidarity" with the nation, and that the security of the U.S.-led alliance is "indivisible."Ambassadors from NATO’s 28 member states issued a joint statement following a rare emergency meeting at NATO headquarters held to hear Turkey describe the threat it faces from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants and the actions it’s taking in response.
The NATO ambassadors said they "strongly condemn the terrorist attacks against Turkey, and express our condolences to the Turkish government and the families" of victims killed in recent terrorist actions.
The NATO statement added: "Terrorism poses a direct threat to the security of NATO countries and to international stability and prosperity," ”It is a global threat that knows no border, nationality or religion_a challenge that the international community must fight and tackle together."
Turkey, the alliance's only Muslim member and one of its most powerful, called for consultations with its allies after a bloody attack it blamed on "terrorists" in the southern town of Suruç last week.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that a soldier has been seriously wounded in an armed attack near Turkey’s border with Iraq.
The agency said the soldier was fired on by a man wearing a mask on July 28 in the mainly-Kurdish town of Şemdinli.
The attack comes amid increased violence between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkish airstrikes against the militants’ bases in neighboring Iraq.
A day earlier, a military police major was killed in an ambush of his car in the southeastern province of Muş. Ten people were detained for questioning.
Earlier, an explosion at a natural gas pipeline between Iran and Turkey - blamed on PKK militants - caused a large fire and shut down the flow of gas.