44 killed at Turkish wedding massacre

[Syt]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aimZ8JDpwKvY&refer=home

Turkish Wedding Attack Leaves 44 Dead in Clan Feud, AFP Says
By Ryan Flinn

May 5 (Bloomberg) -- Gunmen attacked a wedding party in southeastern Turkey, killing at least 44 people in what may have been a clan feud, Agence France-Presse reported.

The massacre in the village of Bilge in the province of Mardin was linked to a disagreement between families, AFP cited residents as saying. At least 10 people were injured in the attack late yesterday, according to an unidentified official with the governor's office, it said.

Four masked men threw grenades into the crowd and then sprayed people with bullets, AFP said, citing the Milliyet newspaper. They escaped in the dark, aided by a sandstorm in the area, AFP cited the newspaper as saying. Another report said the attackers ushered women and children into a room and then opened fire, according to AFP.

The village, several dozen kilometers from the border with Syria, was sealed off by army troops, who are undertaking an operation to capture the assailants, AFP reported.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8034161.stm

Eight people have been arrested after masked gunmen attacked a wedding party in south-eastern Turkey, killing 44 people, Turkish authorities say.

The bride and groom were among those killed by attackers wielding assault rifles and grenades during the festivities in Mardin province.

The motive for the attack is unclear, but it has been linked to a blood feud between rival families in the area.

The identities of those arrested have not been announced.

Turkey's interior minister Besir Atalay said investigators had spent the night speaking to eyewitnesses in an effort to identify those responsible.

"Eight people have been caught and detained, and their weapons confiscated. This can be understood as a blood feud between two families," Mr Atalay said.

The BBC's David Byrne in Istanbul says that the fact arrests were made within hours of the attack and the circumstances of the arrests, that the men were persuaded to surrender, points to their being both local residents and not militants.

Turkey has fought Kurdish separatists in the area for 25 years, but unconfirmed reports said the assailants included members of a militia known as the Village Guards, who have helped government troops fight Kurdish separatist rebels.

The Village Guards were set up in 1984 and have long been accused of involvement in illegal activities, our correspondent adds.

If the group's complicity in these killings is proved, it is likely to reinforce calls for it to be disbanded.

Horrifying scene

The attack took place at a wedding celebration in the village of Bilge Koyu, about 20km (12 miles) from the city of Mardin. One report said there were about 200 guests at the wedding.

One relative who took the body of his nephew to a hospital said the site of the attack was horrifying.

"You could not believe your eyes," Ahmet Can told Channel 24.

Ferhat Ozen, deputy governor of Mardin province, said the assailants stormed into a house where wedding guests had assembled, firing automatic rifles and throwing hand grenades.

Paramilitary police were sent to the village to pursue the attackers, he said.

Another man whose relatives were caught up in the attack accused the gunmen of using explosives.

"The shooting started right after they took their position to perform prayers," Tarik Kalkan said.

"I've seen lots of bodies, their faces are unrecognisable. It's obvious that some explosives were also used."

Mr Atalay, the interior minister, was quick to play down suggestions of a Kurdish terror strike.

"Based on the investigations so far, we have reached the opinion that it was not a terror event, but the prosecution is still investigating," he said.

Although the interior minister did not mention the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by name, analysts say his comments suggest the government is ruling out an attack by Kurdish militants.

Rebels have been battling for more autonomy since 1984 in the south of Turkey - an insurgency which has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The violence means many people carry guns - and our correspondent says tribal and family loyalties in the region run deep.

Shotgun wedding?

[garbon]

Poor Beatrix Kiddo.

[Malthus]

Sounds like the Turkish version of the Hatfields and McCoys.

[Caliga]

Sounds like the Turkish version of the Hatfields and McCoys.

[Ape]

http://languish.org/forums/index.php?topic=721.0

[garbon]

http://languish.org/forums/index.php?topic=721.0

Which is why I made the same stale joke.

[Norgy]

Burn in hell, wedding! 

[Siege]

I thought I said something in this thread.

I guess I was wrong.

[syk]

Read today that this was a revenge act of someone who was rejected by the bride. Even parts his own family were shot at the event. Fucking savages.

[Caliga]

Burn in hell, wedding!