Turkiye ‘rejects’ US condolences over Istanbul attack

People mourn the victims of November 13 explosion at the busy shopping street of Istiklal in Istanbul on November 14, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 14 November 2022
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Turkiye ‘rejects’ US condolences over Istanbul attack

  • ‘We do not accept the US embassy’s message of condolences. We reject it’

ISTANBUL: Turkiye on Monday rejected US condolences over the death of six people in a bomb attack in Istanbul that Ankara blamed on an outlawed Kurdish militant group.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan often accuses Washington of supplying weapons to Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, deemed as “terrorists” by Ankara.

“We do not accept the US embassy’s message of condolences. We reject it,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in televised comments.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official declined comment on reports of US-Russian talks in Turkiye on Monday, but said Ankara was working with some countries against terrorism, including a Sunday's blast in Istanbul.

Ankara blamed Sunday’s attack in Istanbul on Kurdish militants, against which it has carried out several operations in northern Syria. In the past, it notified Moscow and Washington ahead of its operations.


Syrian authorities repair Deir Ezzor airport runway to prepare for resuming flights

Updated 23 February 2026
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Syrian authorities repair Deir Ezzor airport runway to prepare for resuming flights

  • Airport has been out of service for more than a decade because of civil war

LONDON: Syrian authorities are repairing key infrastructure at Deir Ezzor Civil Airport ahead of flights being resumed. Government forces have been in control of northeastern Syria since January.

Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced on Monday that technical and engineering teams are repairing the runway, essential facilities, and rebuilding the airport’s perimeter fence to meet international safety and security standards.

The airport has been out of service for more than a decade due to the civil war in the country, which damaged infrastructure, including several bridges in northeastern Syria, where towns are next to the Euphrates River.

The Syrian government regained control over the region from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces through an agreement in January that established a ceasefire and outlined a phased integration of military and administrative structures.

On Sunday, Syrian authorities took over security responsibilities at Qamishli airport in Hasaka Province, northeastern Syria, as part of the agreement with the SDF.