HATAY
Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Thursday visited Reyhanli, a town near the Syrian border rocked by two deadly car bomb blasts over the weekend.
More than a dozen people were detained in connection with the bombings that Turkey blamed on a former Marxist terrorist group, which according to Turkish officials, had "direct links" to the Syrian regime.
"I strongly condemn all those who are responsible. And I want our citizens to know that whoever instigated, carried out and facilitated these terrorist attacks, they will be punished sooner or later," Gul told reporters.
"You can be sure that no one can get away without paying for what they have done."
Saturday's twin blasts killed at least 51 people -- the highest death toll from a single such incident in Turkey -- and wounded more than 100, mounting fears that Syria's more than two-year-old conflict could spill over to neighboring countries.
"All we wish for is that bloodshed in Syria ends. Demands of Syrian people are legitimate and they are entitled to enjoy the benefits of democracy, rule of law and freedom like any other nations do [...] Turkey will never allow incidents in Syria to enter our country," he said.
