Malaysia, current chair of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference, today denounced the string of bomb attacks in Turkey as unIslamic.

"It clearly goes against the teachings of Islam," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

At least 27 people were killed and nearly 450 were injured in two bomb attacks Thursday on British targets in Istanbul, which the British government said had "all the hallmarks" of the international terror group al-Qaeda.

Turkey's Anatolia news agency quoted an anonymous telephone caller as saying the attacks were a joint action by al-Qaeda and the Islamic Front of Raiders of the Great Orient (IBDA-C) - a radical Sunni Muslim group whose aim is to set up an Islamic state.

Meaningless attack

The two groups had also reportedly claimed responsibility for suicide bombings on Saturday which killed 25 people and injured more than 300 at two synagogues in Istanbul.

"The name of Islam should not be linked (to these sort of actions) at all during the holy month of Ramadan," Syed Hamid said.

The extremists who carried out the attacks would not achieve anything by them, he said.

"Such a situation will not help create a peaceful situation in Turkey or any other Muslim nation.

"I hope the Turkish government will bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. - AFP