- Ankara bombing kills terrorists.
- PKK claims responsibility.
- Turkey receives global support.
Two assailants detonated a bomb in front of Turkish government structures in Ankara on Sunday, resulting in their deaths and injuring two police officers. This was the capital’s first terrorist attack in years, according to authorities.
CCTV footage obtained by Reuters depicts a vehicle pulling up to the main entrance of the Interior Ministry, and one of its occupants rapidly walks towards the building before being engulfed by an explosion, while the other remains on the street.
The explosion killed one of the terrorists, and authorities “neutralized” (killed) the other, according to the interior minister of the incident that shook a central district containing ministerial buildings and the adjacent parliament.
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In a speech at the opening of a new parliamentary session hours later, President Tayyip Erdogan referred to the morning attack as “the latest attempt” to terrorize Turks.
“Those who threaten the peace and security of citizens have not achieved their goals and never will,” he said.
Ankara’s first bombing since 2016’s horrific strikes came on Ataturk Boulevard.
A subsequent video showed a Renault cargo vehicle parked there with shattered windows and open doors, surrounded by debris and soldiers, ambulances, fire engines, and armored vehicles.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that the assailants kidnapped and murdered the vehicle’s driver in Kayseri, a city 260 kilometers (160 miles) southeast of Ankara, before launching the attack. He added that one of the injured officers sustained shrapnel wounds.
Ali Yerlikaya, the interior minister, stated on the social media platform X, “Two terrorists arrived in a light commercial vehicle in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of Internal Affairs and carried out a bomb attack.”
He added that two officers sustained minor injuries in the incident that occurred at 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT).
“Our struggle will continue until we neutralize the last terrorist,” he said, reiterating other Turkish officials’ condemnation.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and its Western allies have designated as a terrorist organization, has claimed responsibility for today’s attack.
“A sacrificial action was carried out against the Turkish Interior Ministry by a team from our Immortal Brigade,” the PKK told the ANF news agency, which is close to the Kurdish movement.
Past assaults
The police have conducted controlled pyrotechnics in response to “suspicious package incidents” in other areas of Ankara.
Authorities were unable to identify a particular militant group.
An explosion on a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul over a year ago killed six and injured 81. Turkey blamed Kurdish militants for that.
Throughout a series of violent incidents in 2015 and 2016, Kurdish militants, the Islamic State. And other groups claimed responsibility for or were blamed for multiple attacks in key Turkish cities. A bomb-laden car exploded in Ankara’s principal transport hub in March 2016, killing 37 people.
Sunday, the chief prosecutor of Ankara launched an investigation into what was also described as a terrorist attack.
Sweden’s plan is expected to pass the Turkish parliament in the coming weeks after early misgivings delayed NATO expansion.
Erdogan didn’t name Sweden or NATO, but he said lawmakers a new constitution was a top priority. The speaker of the parliament stated that its agenda would not yield to terrorism.
Charles Michel, president of the European Council, strongly condemned what he termed the terrorist attack. While Oliver Varhelyi, EU commissioner for enlargement, stated that the EU supports Turkey “in its fight against terrorism.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar also condemned the “heinous terrorist attack” and backed Turkey’s anti-terrorism efforts.
Interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani reiterated the sentiments of the prime minister regarding Turkey.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office expressed confidence that “with their characteristic grit and resolve, the Turkish people will vanquish this threat and emerge even stronger.”
Shehbaz Sharif, president of the PML-N and former prime minister, prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured police officers. The people of Pakistan express unwavering support for the Turkish people and government,” he said.
