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Last Updated: Friday, 21 November, 2003, 00:09 GMT
Turkish PM vows to defeat bombers
A wounded woman is helped after the blast outside the British consulate
Hospitals have been treating hundreds of injured people
The Turkish prime minister has vowed to defeat those who bombed the UK consulate and a British bank in Istanbul, killing at least 27 people.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the bombers - thought linked to al-Qaeda - had "bloodied" the Muslim month of Ramadan.

At least 450 were injured in the attacks on Thursday morning.

As UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw toured the bomb sites, his department issued a travel warning, saying there was a risk of further attack.

The Foreign Office warned British citizens against travel not only to Istanbul, but to all of the country's other major cities, including capital Ankara.

They [the bombers] will be damned until eternity
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish Prime Minister

The first blast targeted the HSBC headquarters. A van is believed to have exploded near the building, devastating its facade.

Minutes later, another van crashed through the gates of the British consulate and blew up.

The second bomb was so big that buildings hundreds of metres away had their windows smashed.

"Cars were flying, there was blood everywhere," said an eyewitness.

Resolve

The top UK diplomat in the city, Consul-General Roger Short, was among at least 16 people killed in the attack on the consulate.

Click below to see a satellite image of the British Consulate

The two blasts follow last Saturday's suicide bomb attacks against two synagogues in Istanbul that killed 25 people.

Late on Thursday, the United Nations Security Council in New York approved a resolution condemning both Saturday's and Thursday's attacks.

The Turkish authorities say the attacks were all carried out by suicide bombers, reportedly linked to al-Qaeda.

After Thursday's bombings Mr Erdogan expressed outrage.

"Those who bloodied this holy day and massacred innocent people will account for it in both worlds," he said.

"They will be damned until eternity."

In a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mr Erdogan promised to "continue our fight against terrorism with more fervour".

Investigation

Mr Straw, after picking his way through the rubble of the British consulate, said: "These people are full of hatred, they are fanatics.

Click below for a more detailed map of the blast sites

"These attacks are attacks on the whole of humanity," he added.

Sixteen members of London's anti-terrorist police branch are to join the investigation into the bombings.

They coincided with a visit by President George W Bush to London.

Mr Bush said the bombers had shown "utter contempt" for human life.

A man who called the semi-official Anatolia news agency said al-Qaeda and the Turkish Islamic militant group IBDA-C had jointly carried out the attacks.

US solidarity

Istanbul governor Muamer Guler said four of the dead at the consulate were British.

He also said the death toll was likely to rise. Hours after the explosions, injured people were still being taken to Istanbul hospitals.

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In Washington, US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said this kind of attack would encourage unity between the US and its allies, rather than drive them apart.

"This kind of horrible act... bring Turkey and the United States and for that matter the United Kingdom and the entire civilised world closer together," Mr Wolfowitz said.

The United States warned that more terrorist attacks were possible in Istanbul, closed its consulate and warned its citizens to stay away from the area where the bombings took place.

The Foreign Office in London issued the following number for people to call for information about those who may have been involved in the blasts: 020 7008 0000.





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