Attack on Turkey leads to a series of protests

Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has promised to boost security along the country’s border with Syria, after 30 people were killed by a bomb in the town of Suruc, reports BBC

Investigators think the blast was caused by a female suicide bomber from the Islamic State group.

Correspondents say Turkey is cracking down on the militants, after previously being accused of ignoring them.

But the blast triggered violent protest in Istanbul, with police using water cannon, teargas and rubber bullets.

The attack took place just before noon local time (09:00 GMT). Around a hundred people were injured. Mr Davutoglu said initial findings suggested it was the work of IS.

“Turkey has taken and will continue to take all necessary measures against Islamic State,” Mr Davutoglu told a news conference in Ankara.”We are face to face with a terrorism incident. We have the willpower to find and certainly punish those who are responsible.”

“Measures on our border with Syria… will be increased,” he added.

There were large scale demonstrations in cities across the country. Protests in Istanbul and Ankara turned violent as police clashed with protesters. A witness told the Reuters news agency that hundreds of protesters in Istanbul chanted slogans accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of collaboration with IS.

Earlier in the day, the president condemned the attack. “On behalf of my people, I curse and condemn the perpetrators of this brutality,” he said while visiting Cyprus. “Terror must be condemned no matter where it comes from.”

A spokesman for the White House condemned the attack and expressed “solidarity with the Turkish government and the Turkish people”.