ANKARA — An apparent suicide bombing that killed at least 30 and wounded scores more Monday has renewed fears that the Islamic State group could wreak havoc in Turkey, where nearly 1 million Syrians have sought refuge.
The blast took place in the Turkish city of Suruc, just a few miles from the Syrian city of Kobani, where Kurdish fighters and U.S. airstrikes defeated the Islamic State late last year. The explosion struck a gathering of leftist activists.
An official from the Turkish prime minister's office said the Islamic State is the primary suspect.
“We are drowning in grief,” he said.
Video taken during a gathering of the Socialist Youth Association, which includes large numbers of Turkish and Kurdish political activists from throughout Turkey, caught the bomb's explosion during a ceremony in which the activists called on the Turkish government to help rebuild Kobani, which was all but destroyed during last year's fighting.
The death toll is expected to rise; more than 100 people were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to Turkish media reports.
The Turkish government announced it will send three senior officials to the area to show solidarity with Turkish leftists and Kurdish groups.
Both have criticized the government for what they say is its unwillingness to crack down on Islamic State supporters along the porous border with Syria.
