DHAKA: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday launched one of his strongest attacks yet against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria extremists, saying the group was a ‘virus’ working to destroy the Muslim community.

Ankara has been repeatedly criticized in recent months for not doing enough to halt the advance of IS to its borders, but Erdogan said after meeting Iraqi president Fuad Masum that the group had to be confronted.

The IS ‘is an important virus that is working to divide and destroy the ummah’, Erdogan told reporters in televised comments, using the term for the community of Muslims, reports The Straits Times.

He said other groups had followed the same path but that ISIS had proved more adept and serious in using its resources.

BDST: 2027 HRS, APR 22, 2015
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