Turkish diplomat admits Syrian rebels carried out Reyhanli bombings

The bloody attack on the border town of Reyhanlı was carried out by Syrian elements of Al-Qaeda, and not by groups connected to the government of Bashar Assad, Tacan Ildem, Turkey’s representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told the OSCE Permanent Council on March 27. The report, published in Sunday’s Zaman, is the first time a Turkish official has contradicted the longstanding Turkish assertion that Damascus was behind the attack. On May 11, 2013, twin car bombings left 53 people dead and 140 wounded. It is the single deadliest terrorist act in the history of Turkey.