This is a rather interesting comment considering that until 2012, when al-Qaeda's role in NATO's covert war on Syria became fully exposed, Turkey's political authorities were quite at ease in holding Al Qaeda responsible for any atrocity committed in Turkey or abroad. [E] That same day, Prime Minister Erdogan also accused Syria:
These attacks betray the intention of a country on fire which is trying to drag Turkey into the same fire. These attacks, to put it bluntly, are the bloody Baath regime's attempt to provide an opportunity to its collaborators. [...] These attacks aim to provoke those who live together in peace, in serenity, in fraternity, particularly in Hatay. Most importantly, these attacks target Turkey which has resolved its terror issue, reinforced fraternity, put an end to mothers' tears. [...]
"Even if Turkey were to remain silent," Erdogan went on, "stand idly by in the face of the tragedy in Syria, these traps would still have been set up, Turkey would still have been targeted. Those who criticise Turkey's policy on Syria in the wake of these attacks with utter brazenness, a sheer lack of common sense and pure opportunism exhibit ignorance and an absence of policy. These attacks do not target our policy on Syria, they target our fraternity, our stability, our growth." [28]
The next day, Mr Erdogan spoke even more
categorically:
This incident is definitely connected to the [Syrian] regime. The [Syrian] regime is behind this incident. That is evident. [29]
Syria 's Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi responded to Mr Erdogan's accusations in full force:
The real terrorist is the government of Turkey under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It opened Turkey's border with Syria to the terrorists. [Turkey] became a hub of international jihadi terrorism. It unleashed these terrorists on Turkish people's houses and fields. It hosted terrorists coming from all over the world. Without any consideration, it provided them with all types of arms, bombs and explosive devices so that they could massacre people of Syria. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his interior and foreign ministers bear a political and moral responsibility towards all the people of the world in general and the people of Syria and their own people in particular. [...]
The sole responsibility for the bombing attacks in Reyhanli lies with Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. These [attacks] couldn't have been perpetrated by Syria. Despite all the things they did to the people and army of Syria for such a long time, neither our decency, nor our ethics, nor our policy would allow us to do something like this. [...]
No one has got the right to accuse others. Shortly after [the attacks] , Turkey's Interior Minister [Muammer Guler] has said that they suspect that [the attacks] were connected to Syria. To put it plainly, the reason why he came up with such quick accusations without any evidence at hand, is to fabricate the evidence they had in mind. These [attacks] were directly perpetrated by Erdogan and the AKP. They are the ones who, through their intelligence and security forces, supplied Al Qaida with chemical and got them to penetrate all the way to Aleppo. They are the ones who transported terrorists, arms and deaths through their planes. Erdogan himself and his party want to destroy Syria. What occurred in Reyhanli was the ambition of destroying Syria itself. Whoever wants death and massacre is the one who carried out this massacre in Turkey.
When bombs explode in Turkey, we know why these bombs have been made to explode. The whole world knows why the bombs are exploding in Syria. But why in Turkey and why now? And why particularly before Erdogan's meeting with Obama? Erdogan wants to get the United States into action. And then he will say "I am a member of NATO, Syria is attacking me'. In fact, in his latest statement, he said "we are capable of making war with Syria'. [...] Turkey's Foreign Minister [Davutoglu] said yesterday that Turkey is strong enough to defend itself. Against whom is it going to defend itself ? Who actually poses a threat to Turkey? [30]
Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah's statement was equally straightforward:
These terrorist bombings came as part of a series of similar crimes that affect innocent people in several Arab and Islamic countries, which can only be made [by] criminal hands. It also bore the hallmarks of international intelligence agencies, aimed at destabilizing and creating discord and unrest in these countries. [31]
Two weeks later, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag targeted Hezbollah for its political and military support to Syria [32] :
[Hezbollah] says that it stands by Assad. [...] From where does it draw its strength? Having sided with those who unleash death upon their fellow Muslim brothers [...] , [Hezbollah] has no right to draw strength from Islam and the Quran. The source of their strength would actually be the Satan who wants to pit Muslims against each other, who wants to have them slaughter each other. [...] Hezbollah should change its name to 'Hezbol-satan' [i.e. Party of Satan]. [33]
DESTROYING THE EVIDENCE
On the day of the incident, which was a Saturday, the government
managed to get the local court of Reyhanli to issue a blanket
censorship ban regarding the broadcasting of news about the bombing
attacks in Reyhanli. According to this ban, only statements made by
senior authorities and police reports would be allowed to be reported
on the media and the internet:
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