US State Department condemns deadly blast on Turkish-Syrian border

WASHINGTON/ANKARA – Anatolia News Agency

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland. Hürriyet photo

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland expressed sorrow over the deadly blast on the Turkish-Syrian border on Feb. 11.

“We are sorry about the deaths,” Nuland said during her daily press briefing on Feb. 11. “There is no justification of an attack on peaceful border points.”

Nuland said there was no further information on the explosion yet, describing the situation as “concerning.”

The blast killed at least 13 civilians and left 28 others wounded at the Cilvegözü border gate on the Turkish-Syrian border, in the southern province of Hatay’s Reyhanlı district.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone also offered his condolences regarding the deadly explosion.

“There is no justification for an attack on a border gate, which serves for the free circulation of people, properties and ideas between the two countries,” Ricciardone said in a statement, adding that they felt a “deep sorrow” for those who had lost their lives in the “clearly deliberate” attack.