44 Dead at Turkish Wedding Slaughter

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Blood feud spills over into horrendous attack on wedding party.

A shocking attack at a Turkish wedding resulted in 44 lives being taken as masked gunmen opened fire at a reception last night.

The attack has devastated the small village of Bilge Koyu which is situated in the south eastern part of Turkey, some 20 km outside of the city of Mardin, near the boarder with Syria. So far, eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the horrific attack. Besir Atalay, the Turkish interior minister said the suspects were being detained for questioning.

The bloody atrocity saw nearly a quarter of the 200 guests murdered in a matter of seconds. The attackers herded the startled wedding guests into one of the main reception rooms before opening fire in wanton cruelty. As the bullets sprayed throughout the carnage, many of the guests were injured, whilst 44 died almost instantly. Six of the slain were children under the age of 12.

The attack is believed to be part of an ongoing blood feud between rival Turkish families. Unconfirmed reports from BBC claim that the horrifying encounter was conducted by a militia group called the Village Guards.

The Village Guards were established in 1984 and formed by the Turkish government in order to resist Kurdish separatists in guerrilla attacks. The group has been criticised however for acting illegally and taking the law into their own hands. If the Village Guards are proven to be responsible for the attack, then the force of public opinion could well push the government to step in and disband the militia group.

For now, Turkey mourns its dead; no news has been released on the condition of either the bride or groom at the wedding.