Obama reaffirms US solidarity with Turkey following attack

US President Barack Obama has reaffirmed the solidarity of his country with Turkey following the bombing attacks on Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport.

In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, Obama expressed his condolences on behalf of the American people and said the attack, like the March attack at Brussels Airport, was an attack on the international community, according to a statement issued by the White House, Xinhua reported.

At least 41 people were killed and nearly 150 others injured in explosions that hit Ataturk Airport on Tuesday.

Obama offered "any and all" assistance to support Turkish authorities in their investigation and pledged to continue working with Turkey and all of US partners and allies to fight terrorism, it said.

Turkish media reported that Turkey's intelligence units sent a warning letter to related state institutions about potential attacks by the Islamic State (IS) militants nearly 20 days ago.

Hande Firat, CNNTurk's representative in Ankara, said on a live broadcast that Ataturk Airport was listed as a potential target in the letter.

--IANS

pgh/