Citizens of Turkey mourned a deadly suicide bombing on Tuesday at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport which left 44 people dead, and 19 of them were foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, police conducted operations and detained over 20 people suspected of being ISIL members. CCTV’s Michal Bardavid has the details.
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In Turkey, the day began with dawn operations by police as they detained 13 people suspected of being ISIL members in Istanbul and nine in Izmir – as the government blames ISIL for the airport attack.
Anadolu Agency reports four of the detained are reportedly foreign nationals. Turkish officials announced the three attackers of the Istanbul airport bombing were identified as citizens of Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
At the airport, an emotional memorial service was held for the workers who were killed. Their photos decorated with carnations
“I don’t doubt for a second, with God’s will that we will overcome terror, terrorist organizations and terrorist attacks,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.
Though many fearful tourists cancelled trips to Turkey, some foreigners emphasized that attacks would not keep them away from Istanbul.
Though no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish forces were expected to continue their operations against ISIL as they cracked down on terrorists within Turkish territory.
Journalist Tulin Daloglu discusses the mood in Turkey after the attack
For more on the aftermath of the attack, CCTV America’s Asieh Namdar was joined by Tulin Daloglu, journalist specializes in Turkey’s domestic and foreign policies.
Professor Doga Eralp discusses the nationalities of the Istanbul attackers
To take a deeper look at why Turkey was consistently being targeted, CCTV America’s Elaine Reyes spoke to Doga Eralp, professor at the School of International Service at American University. He specializes in international conflict across the globe, including the Middle East and Turkey.