Turkish president condemns 'vile, treacherous' attack in Somalia

The president of Türkiye on Monday strongly condemned a "heinous" terrorist attack with bomb-laden vehicles in Somalia.

"No reason can be an excuse for killing innocent civilians, children going to school, people praying in mosques," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a meeting with religious officials in the Turkish capital Ankara.

"The perpetrators of the heinous terrorist attack that claimed the lives of more than 100 of our brothers and sisters in Somalia have absolutely no connection with Islam, Sharia, or humanity," Erdoğan added.

Two separate bombings claimed by the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab left scores of casualties on Saturday at a busy intersection in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

"We condemn this vile and treacherous attack and wish our Somali brothers and sisters to get well soon," Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye would continue to stand with Somalia in difficult times.

"All of these terrorist organizations, whether they are called Daesh, Boko Haram, or FETO, are deviant structures that use our religion for their dirty purposes," he added.