Turkey Suicide Bomber ‘Child Aged 12-14’

A suicide bombing which killed 51 people in the Turkish city of Gaziantep was carried out by a 12 to 14-year-old, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Erdogan said the so-called Islamic State (IS) was behind the attack, which targeted a Kurdish wedding party. Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, is known to have several IS cells.
The bomb wounded 69 people, Erdogan added, 17 of them seriously.
The bomber targeted the wedding guests as they danced in the street.
The BBC’s Seref Isler, who is from Gaziantep, says the city of 1.5 million was already on edge because of events in Syria, where IS has been battling Syrian Kurdish forces.
A suicide bomber believed to have links to IS killed two policemen in Gaziantep in May.
In a written statement published by local media, Erdogan argued there was “no difference” between IS, the Kurdish militants of the PKK, and followers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt last month.

“Our country and our nation have again only one message to those who attack us – you will not succeed!” he said.
“The celebrations were coming to an end and there was a big explosion among people dancing,” said Veli Can, 25.
“There was blood and body parts everywhere.”

On Saturday, Turkey’s government said the country would take a more active role in efforts to end the war in Syria.