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Turkey admits Reyhanli was attacked by al-Qaeda

Turkey’s Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Tacan Ildem, says the May 11, 2013, Reyhanli attack was carried out by al-Qaeda.

Search and rescue team members work on one of the scenes of the twin car bomb attacks in the town of Reyhanli of Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border May 12, 2013. Twin car bombs killed 43 people and wounded many more in a Turkish town near the Syrian border on Saturday and the government said it suspected Syrian involvement. The bombing increased fears that Syria's civil war was dragging in neighbouring states despite renewed diplomatic moves towards ending two years of fighting in which more than
Search and rescue team members work at one of the scenes of the twin car bomb attacks in the town of Reyhanli of Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border, May 12, 2013. — REUTERS/Umit Bektas

On May 11, 2013, Reyhanli, a Turkish town on the border with Syria, was attacked with twin car bombs, leaving behind an official toll of 52 deaths and 146 injuries. 

But the mystery of who attacked Reyhanli, marking the worst terrorist attack this country has ever seen, remained controversial. Here is why:

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