Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Attack on the US Consulate in Turkey

Despite relocating the consulate to another location and heavily fortifying it, the US Consulate in Istanbul was tested today in a fierce gunbattle:
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Turkish security guards outside the United States Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday and at least three officers were killed, the governor of Istanbul said.

Governor Muammer Guler, quoted by Reuters, said one of the policemen died at the scene after a 15-minute gun battle.

Three attackers were killed and others were being sought, the semi-official Anatolian news agency said.

Crowds and police milled around the 15-foot high high walls sheltering the American compound and police cordoned off the area. A helicopter was seen hovering above. Television footage showed one body lying on the ground, but news reports from Istanbul said up to six people may have died.

American officials said no employees or officials at the consulate had been killed.

Fundamentalism continues to march through Turkey, and that's another reason why we decry the lack of a functioning State Department.

--WS

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