Turkey abetting terrorism: Syria

The Syrian reaction came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday that the 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene, believed to be an accomplice of the Paris attackers, entered Syria from Turkey Jan 8, Xinhua reported, citing the SANA news agency.

"The Turkish foreign ministry's remarks constitute an overt confession that Turkey is serving as the main conduit for terrorists sneaking in and out of Syria," the Syrian statement said.

"Easy movement of terrorists through Turkish territories makes the Turkish government (an) accomplice of the terrorist groups and makes Turkey a direct partner in the (bloodshed) in Syria and elsewhere in the world," the statement said.

It urged the international community to "actively work to put an end to the destructive Turkish policies, which are directly responsible for the growth of terrorist activities in the region".

Earlier, the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying that Hayat Boumeddiene, the partner of Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four hostages at a supermarket in Paris Friday, arrived in Turkey from Madrid Jan 2 before leaving for Syria Jan 8.

She stayed at a hotel in Kadikoy district in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul, Cavusoglu said, stressing that Ankara notified Paris even before French authorities asked for information.

Terrorist attacks in Paris over three days last week killed 20 people, including three attackers, while a hunt is on for Boumeddiene.

IANS