Turkish main opposition urges restraint over border gate blast, questions security

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

At least 12 civilians were killed and more than 25 others were wounded today in a blast at the Cilvegözü border gate on the Turkish-Syrian border. AA photo

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has urged the government to exercise restraint in the wake of a car explosion that killed 10 on the Turkish-Syrian border yesterday while also questioning the security precautions along the frontier.

“The government, who has been insistent on its mistaken and aggressive foreign policy on Syria, should not take a wrong step by using the latest incident as a pretext,” CHP deputy chair Faruk Loğoğlu said in a written statement he released just hours after the blast.

Loğoğlu harshly condemned the incident in which at least 10 civilians were killed and more than 30 others were wounded at the Cilvegözü border gate on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southern province of Hatay’s Reyhanlı district.

The government should urgently examine and investigate the incident and inform the public, Loğoğlu said.

“In this context, the question that should urgently be answered is how security is provided at the Cilvegözü border gate. Who are our counterparts on the Syrian side? How and on which basis do we cooperate with them? How could a car loaded with explosives enter Turkey?” Loğoğlu asked.