President Obama on Istanbul Bombing: ‘We Stand With the People of Turkey’

President Barack Obama on Wednesday addressed the ongoing situation in Turkey where 41 people were killed in a terrorist attack at the Istanbul airport. Following a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at the North American Leaders Summit, Obama expressed his condolences to the people of Turkey for the “terrible attack that took place in Istanbul.”

During the morning flight to Ottawa, where the summit is being held, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president had spoken to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and offered support. Obama later condemned the terrorists who carried out the attack, which reportedly consisted of three suicide bombers who first shot at citizens and then detonated explosive devices. Authorities have not yet deemed any one group responsible for the attack, though Turkey’s Prime Minister suggested ISIS is responsible for the attacks.

Obama said the attack was an “indication of how little these vicious organizations have to offer beyond killing innocents.”

“They’re continually losing ground, unable to govern those areas that they have taken over. They’re going to be defeated in Syria, they’re going to be defeated in Iraq,” Obama said of the terror network. “We will not rest until we have dismantled these networks of hate that have had an impact on the entire civilized world.”

We stand with the people of Turkey,” the President added.