President Erdoğan visits hospital after Istanbul attack, vows to fight terror

ISTANBUL

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has visited people who were wounded after an attack on a police vehicle in the Vezneciler neighborhood of Istanbul on June 7, while promising to maintain the battle against terrorism.

“We will continue our fight against these terrorists to the end tirelessly,” Erdoğan told journalists after his visit, while extending condolences to the people of Turkey.

The bomb attack that was carried out early in the day left 11 people dead, including six police officers, and wounded 36 others. 

“Whether the terrorist organization makes any discrimination between police, civilians or soldiers doesn’t concern us. At the end of the day, those who become martyrs are human. They target humans,” Erdoğan said, adding that attacking people who provided safety for the country was “in no way forgivable.”

Noting that two of the wounded were in intensive care, Erdoğan said the condition of others was fair and that they were due to be discharged from hospital.

In line with the president’s remarks, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also reiterated the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) commitment to the fight against terror following a 30-minute closed-door briefing with Interior Minister Efkan Ala.

“Terror organizations which target our innocent civilians on the first days of the sacred [month of] Ramadan demonstrated once again that they are against humanity and all humanitarian values,” Yıldırım said in a statement of condolence. 

“No matter what, the state of the Republic of Turkey will never ever make concessions in the fight against terror,” Yıldırım said.

The prime minister is set to pay a visit to the victims of the blast on June 8, according to reports.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also condemned the attack and said national solidarity would overcome terrorism “despite the clumsiness of the current administration.”

“This terror attack, organized on the second day of Ramadan – the month of peace and brotherhood – targeted our law enforcement agency which is fulfilling its responsibilities to achieve a secure Turkey with determination,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, extending his condolences to the victims of the explosion. 

Meanwhile, a co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş, slammed the AKP government for failing to put an end to bloodshed, saying he would file his resignation if he were the prime minister. 

“If I were prime minister, I would resign today. I would not come out and tell people to get used to attacks. This is because we have honor,” Demirtaş said, declaring the government to be responsible for creating the conditions for attacks.

“If these deaths will continue until the end of time, why are you occupying that seat?” Demirtaş said in statements posted on the party’s official Twitter account.

Demirtaş also called on the leaders of all four parties represented in Turkey’s parliament to come together at a meeting to put an end to bloody incidents.

“We can resign altogether if we fail to solve this problem within a designated timeframe,” he said.

The co-chair stressed that violence has never been accepted as a valid method by the HDP.

“Tensions and competition in the political scene are acceptable, but I want to state once again that we do not accept any form of violence,” Demirtaş said.

The leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) also slammed the government while condemning the attack, repeating his belief that acts of terror would not succeed in “disturbing national unity and damaging the ties of brotherhood.”

“The AKP government no longer has any pretexts. Those who idle around with the presidency need to pull themselves together and spoil these games against us,” Bahçeli said, referring to attempts by the government, supported by Erdoğan – who is still perceived as the party’s actual leader – to impose a presidential system on the country.