Update: Death toll from Turkish wedding attack rises to 50, Daesh suspected

Published August 21st, 2016 - 10:00 GMT
Relatives grieve at hospital August 20, 2016 in Gaziantep following a late night militant attack on a wedding party in southeastern Turkey. (AFP/Ahmed Deeb)
Relatives grieve at hospital August 20, 2016 in Gaziantep following a late night militant attack on a wedding party in southeastern Turkey. (AFP/Ahmed Deeb)

The death toll from a bombing at a Kurdish wedding in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has risen to 50, broadcaster CNN Turk reported Sunday, citing the provincial governor.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Daesh was "the possible perpetrator" of the attack, which left dozens wounded.

Gaziantep, a city of 1.5 million people in south-central Turkey, is near the border with Syria, where the militant group holds territory.

The extremist group has been ceding ground to US-backed Kurdish-led forces and recently lost Manbij, a key city near the border with Turkey, shrinking its areas of control.

Daesh was blamed for an attack in May that killed two police officers in Gaziantep. The group has also been held responsible for other attacks in the country, including several in Istanbul.

In June, more than 40 people were killed in an attack on an Istanbul airport blamed on the extremist group.

Turkey is also facing conflict in the south-east with Kurdish militants.

 

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