Bêritan Elyakut-Zehra Doğan/JINHA

RIHA - Leyla Güven represents the province of Urfa, where a bombing took place yesterday. She says she had repeatedly asked the Turkish government to do something about Daesh presence in the town, but the state took no precautions.

Yesterday, a bomb exploded at the Amara Culture Center in the town of Suruç, located in Turkey's Urfa province. 32 have died so far in the bombing, which targeted youth activists going to Kobanê.

The last year has been a strained one for Suruç. In September, Daesh launched its months-long siege on the city of Kobanê, just across the border from Suruç. Leyla Güven is one of the province's parliamentary representatives from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

Soon after the Daesh attack on Kobanê began, she said, she was among the politicians who warned the local government that Daesh had infiltrated Suruç. Suruç lies just across the border from Kobanê. Journalists and locals have shared pictures of Daesh members crossing the border with ease near Suruç in order to fight in Kobanê. The Turkish government took no measure to stop them.

"We met with the government multiple times about this issue," said Leyla. "We have filed applications asking them to take precautions against the Daesh gang members crossing the border. But the state has never taken any precautions."

She noted that it would have been difficult for the state not to notice anything amiss in the tiny town of Suruç that day, when youth from Turkey came to the border soon after the third anniversary of the Rojava revolution.

"Those who knew about this had prepared ahead of time and entered the area, but the Turkish state saw nothing," she said. "It's surprising that a government with knowledge of everything would not know that there are Daesh gang members in Suruç.

"Because of the AKP government's irresponsible and impassive attitudes, nearly 30 youth lost their lives," she said. She said that her heart went out to the families. She said it was time for those responsible for the loss of life to be held to account.

"This people, who have no security of life, are now going to develop their own defense," she said.

(fk/cm)