US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby has warned that accusatory and provocative rhetoric employed by some Turkish media outlets against the US in the wake of acts of terrorism in the country could endanger US citizens and must end.
“Incendiary and false accusations about the US in Turkish media are offensive and could endanger our citizens. Must stop,” Kirby wrote in a message on his Twitter account on Thursday.
Some pro-government media outlets in Turkey have over the past days run stories claiming that the US was behind several terror incidents in the country, including the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey last month and the massacre of 39 people in a nightclub attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day in İstanbul.
In another message, Kirby said the US strongly condemns terrorist attacks in Turkey, including the one in İzmir on Thursday and the New Year’s attack in İstanbul.
“We stand with NATO ally Turkey against terrorism,” he added.
A car bomb attack in the western province of İzmir on Thursday led to the killing of two people, while several others were injured.
