Didem Tuncay, a Turkish journalist wounded in last week’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, has lost her right eye.
Tuncay, who was hit with pieces of shrapnel when a bomb exploded next to the embassy, has been in critical condition and has undergone more than one surgical operation. An embassy guard and the bomber were both killed in the attack.
According to media reports, one of Tuncay’s eardrums was also badly damaged.
In a statement to the press from Numune Hospital, U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, singled out Tuncay and her work as the reason he was visiting the hospital.
“I have the greatest respect for Didem Tuncay,” said the Ambassador to the press in comments that were later published on the embassy’s website. “She was the first person to interview me when I arrived two years ago at NTV,” he noted, adding, “She serves her country by getting the truth to the Turkish people. All of you play an essential role in Turkish democracy and she, I think, is one of the best.”
Tuncay, a television broadcast journalist, is expected to be released from the hospital later this week. She was just leaving the embassy when the attack happened.
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