ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday asked for forgiveness over rescue delays while visiting one of the areas hit hardest by the deadly earthquake earlier this month.
Erdogan, who is seeking another term as president after two decades in power, has received strong criticism from earthquake survivors in Adiyaman in the southeast.
In the last election in 2018, Erdogan handily beat his secular opposition rival in that province.
“Due to the devastating effect of the tremors and the bad weather, we were not able to work the way we wanted in Adiyaman for the first few days. I apologize for this,” Erdogan said.
The February 6 quake killed more then 44,000 people in Turkiye and thousands more in neighboring Syria.
AFP reported the locals’ fury with the government from Adiyaman on February 10.
“I did not see anyone until 2:00 p.m. on the second day of the earthquake,” Adiyaman resident Mehmet Yildirim told AFP at the time.
“No government, no state, no police, no soldiers. Shame on you! You left us on our own.”
The catastrophe struck just as Erdogan was gaining momentum and starting to lift his approval numbers from a low suffered during a dire economic crisis that exploded last year.
Shortly after the quake, Erdogan had admitted “shortcomings” in the government’s handling of the disaster.
Turkiye’s Erdogan asks forgiveness for quake rescue delays
https://arab.news/2cb78
Turkiye’s Erdogan asks forgiveness for quake rescue delays
- Erdogan has received strong criticism from earthquake survivors in Adiyaman in the southeast
- AFP reported the locals’ fury with the government from Adiyaman on February 10
About 50,000 worshippers perform Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Palestinians are observing Ramadan amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank
- Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the fasting month
LONDON: Nearly 50,000 worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered at Al-Aqsa despite facing Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Palestinians are observing the fasting month of Ramadan, which began last Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers, and Israeli raids and arrests.
Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to Al-Aqsa to children under 12, men over 55, and women over 50.
Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in hopes of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.
