简体中文
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Wednesday blamed the Islamic State (IS) for the terrorist attacks on Istanbul's Ataturk Airport that killed 36 people and injured many others.
There are signs indicating that Tuesday night's attacks were carried out by the IS, but efforts to identify the attackers are still under way, Yildirim told reporters at the airport.
Three suicide bombers had arrived at the airport by taxi and opened fire before blowing themselves up, said the prime minister. Foreign nationals were among the dead, he said.
The prime minister ordered the formation of a crisis desk and vowed to fight terrorism with "unity and solidarity."
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged continued battle "against all terrorist organizations at all costs until the end of terrorism."
Following the attacks, all flights at the airport were suspended, and entrances and exits were sealed, reports said. But the flights will resume soon, according to the police.
A Chinese national at the airport said he ran for cover after hearing gunshots. He then heard one explosion, and saw smoke everywhere and the injured be carried away.
"It's really good to be alive," he added.
The security situation in Turkey hasover the past year. A number of bomb attacks have hit Istanbul, the Turkish capital of Ankara and other cities.
The latest attack that hit Istanbul occurred on June 7, in which a car bomb targeted a riot police shuttle bus, killing 11 people.
(APD)
