44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey

44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey
IBRAHIM USTA, AP

BILGE, Turkey (May 5) - Turkish security forces on Tuesday detained eight gunmen suspected of fatally shooting 44 people, many of whom were praying, at an engagement ceremony in the rural southeast of the country.

Masked assailants with automatic weapons attacked the celebration Monday night in the village of Bilge, near the city of Mardin, in the deadly outcome of a family feud, the government said. Vendettas occasionally simmer among families in the region, where tribal ties and rivalries can eclipse the power of the state.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "the result of a feud between two families" had led to the deaths of six children, 17 women and 21 men. He said some suspects had the same family name as the victims.

"The people were killed at a happy event, during a ceremony, while praying," Erdogan said in his weekly address to ruling party lawmakers in parliament. "The fact that they pointed guns and massacred children, defenseless people, is atrocious."
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44 Killed in Family Feud Attack in Turkey