Category: USA

America’s top cops in Istanbul during attack on consulate
Thursday, July 10, 2008
 
ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News

  The armed attack in front of the American Consulate in Istanbul took place at a time when high-level U.S. drug enforcement agents were in town to attend the 26th International Drug Enforcement Conference, bringing together top law enforcement officials from 91 countries.

  When the attack took place at around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, Michele Leonhart, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s, or DEA, acting administrator; Scott Burns, deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; and Mark Destito, the DEA’s Regional Director based in Ankara were briefing a group of journalists at the conference venue in the Conrad Hotel in Beşiktaş district, 10 kilometers from İstinye, where the consulate moved a few years ago.

  The news of the attack, which left three Turkish police officers dead, sent shock waves through the U.S. agents who organized the conference with the Directorate of the Turkish Police.

  During the press briefing, which likely began around when the 15-minute gunfight between the Turkish police and the assailants started, Turkish law enforcement officials were praised for their success in intercepting drug trafficking passing through Turkey.

  “Turkey seized 15 to 16 percent of the heroin coming from Afghanistan. Turkey has done such a good job that drug smugglers have started to take a different route rather than the Balkan route, which is the primary corridor for Afghan-produced drugs to reach Europe. The anchor point for the Balkan Route is Turkey, which remains a major staging area and transportation route for heroin destined for European markets,” said the Interpol Web site. 

  “Turkish authorities need to be recognized because they have put so much pressure on the drug lords that they started to change methods and routes,” said Leonhart.

   Answering a question regarding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Leonhart recalled President Bush’s decision to use a U.S. drug trafficking law to impose financial sanctions on the PKK.  “This allows us to cut off organizations helping the PKK in their criminal activities,” said Leonhart. 

  Scott Burns from the White House said those using drugs are funding terrorism.

NTV news channel reported : Turkish police suspect the gunmen behind Wednesday’s attack on a guardpost outside the US embassy in Istanbul might belong to Al-Qaeda. Police had found information linking the gunmen to Afghanistan, leading to suspicions that the attack was inspired by the Al-Qaeda network.

Here are the first reactions to the armed attack on U.S. consulate in Istanbul:

ABDULLAH GUL – TURKISH PRESIDENT

“Unfortunately, three police officers were martyred in a terrorist attack outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul earlier in the day. I offer my condolences to their families. Turkey will fight against those who masterminded such acts and the mentality behind it till the end. Everybody has already seen that terrorism would not serve anything.”

TAYYIP ERDOGAN – TURKISH PRIME MINISTER

“Such betrayed attacks against Turkey’s peace and stability won’t be able to attain their goals thanks to the determination of our security forces.”

ROSS WILSON – U.S. AMBASSADOR

“We remain a close friend and ally of Turkey. Well not be deterred in any way by terrorists who are seeking to strike at us or at U.S.-Turkish relations. Our countries stand together in the fight against international terrorism…. We will confront this as we have confronted similar problems in the past.”

ERIC GREEN – U.S. CONSULATE IN ADANA

“We are grateful to the Turkish police for the bravery they displayed. We always take the necessary measures for our security, and will continue to do so. We receive great support from the Turkish police, and very happy with our relations with them. I don’t want to speculate. I don’t know which terrorist organization is responsible for the attack.”

AMADEU ALTAFAJ TARDIO – EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON

“We strongly condemned the armed attack outside U.S. Consulate in Istanbul. We share the sorrow of the Turkish authorities and relatives of the policemen who were killed in the attack.”

US Ambassador Ross Wilson told reporters in Ankara :

“It’s an obvious act of terrorism, This was an attack on an American diplomatic establishment. The persons who lost their lives are Turkish citizens and we are very sad about that.

We remain a close friend and ally of Turkey. We’ll not be deterred in any way by terrorists who are seeking to strike at us or at US-Turkish relations, our countries stand together in the fight against international terrorism…. We will confront this as we have confronted similar problems in the past.”

From the Associated Press
2:30 AM PDT, July 9, 2008
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Istanbul’s governor says an armed attack against a police guard post outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul left three attackers and three policemen dead.

Gov. Muammer Guler says the attackers’ identities are under investigation.

A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman says there were no reports of casualties among American consulate employees in Wednesday’s attack.

The spokeswoman says “at least one assailant opened fire on the Turkish police guard post area near the main entrance to the consulate.” She requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

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