Anguish in Turkey as Funeral Held for Bombing Victims
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Families of the Kurdish activists killed in a suicide attack in the Turkish town of Suruc began laying their loved ones to rest.
Huge crowds attended the funerals of 25 of the 32 victims of Monday's blast, which happened just 10km from Turkey's border with Syria.
Those who attended shouted slogans against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group, which has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mourners also chanted against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who they accuse of not doing enough to combat the armed group, which has conducted a military campaign against Syrian Kurdish communities that line the border.
Suspect identified
Earlier Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkish authorities had identified a suspect involved in the bombing.
Davutoglu did not give the name of the suspect, but said there was a high probability the attack was caused by a suicide bomber with connections to ISIL.
"One suspect has been identified. All the [suspect's] links internationally and domestically are being investigated," he said on Tuesday.
"We expect this investigation to be concluded as soon as possible."
The attack targeted the group of mostly university-aged students from an activist group as they gathered to make a statement to the local press about a trip they were planning to help rebuild Kobane in Syria.
The footage showed young men and women from the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations standing behind a banner declaring support for the devastated Syrian city, some holding up small red flags. Suddenly there was a huge explosion, apparently from within the crowd, sending up a column of flame.
Kobane was the site of one of the biggest battles against ISIL last year and was secured by Syrian Kurdish fighters last month after repeated assaults.
The students planned to build a library, plant a forest and build a playground in Kobane, a member of the group wounded in the blast, told the Reuters news agency.
Turkey's Kurds have been enraged by what they see as the ruling AK party government's failure to do more to stop ISIL. The PKK held Ankara responsible for Monday's attack, saying it had "supported and cultivated" ISIL against the Kurds, Al Jazeera reported.