UAE condemns Turkey terror attacks; 97 dead

Abu Dhabi - The statement called on the international community to intensify its collective efforts to uproot the dangerous menace of terrorism and find drastic solutions to combat the phenomenon.

The United Arab Emirates today condemned the two terrorist explosions that targeted a train station in the Turkish capital of Ankara, which killed 97 and injured many, national news agency Wam reported today.
''The UAE reiterates its firm and principled stance which denounces all forms and manifestations of terrorism, regardless of their motivation and justification, wherever, whenever and by whosoever committed,'' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement today.
The statement called on the international community to intensify its collective efforts to uproot the dangerous menace of terrorism and find drastic solutions to combat the phenomenon which contravenes all human and moral values.
The ministry extended its heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families and relatives of the victims and wished swift recovery to those injured in the attacks.
At least 86 people were killed on Saturday in the Turkish capital Ankara when twin blasts ripped through groups of leftist and pro-Kurdish activists gathering for an anti-government peace rally, the deadliest attack in the history of modern Turkey.
However, the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party said the toll had risen to 97.
The attack, near Ankara's main train station, ratcheted up tensions ahead of Turkey's November 1 snap elections which were already soaring amid the government's offensive on Kurdish militants.
Bodies of the slain activists were seen strewn across the ground after the blasts, with the banners they had been holding lying next to them for the 'Work, Peace and Democracy' rally.
Sixty-two people died on the spot and 24 more succumbed to their wounds in hospital, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said. He said another 186 people had been injured, 28 of them seriously.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the "heinous attack", saying it was aimed at "our unity and our country's peace".
The Turkish government imposed a temporary news blackout covering images that showed the moment of the blasts, gruesome or bloody pictures or "images that create a feeling of panic". - Agencies