At Least 37 Killed in Latest Ankara Bombing

Erdogan: Terrorism Will Be Brought Down to Its Knees

ANKARA, Turkey (A.W.)—At least 37 people were killed and more than 125 injured in a car bomb explosion in Ankara on March 13. Turkey’s Health and Interior Ministers held a press conference on the following day confirming that a bomb-laden car caused the blast in Guven Park in Ankara’s Kizilay district, killing 30 people, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported. At least seven others, including one of the people allegedly responsible for the bombing, were killed on their way to the hospital according to the health minister.

Though no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish officials were quick to point to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or an affiliated group as the perpetrators. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to crack down on terror in a statement shortly after the bombing, in which he declared: “Our state will never give up its right to self-defence against all kinds of terror threats. Our soldiers, policemen, village guards, all our security forces are resolutely struggling against terrorist organizations, risking their lives. I assure our citizens, our struggle against terrorism… will certainly end in success, and terrorism will be brought [down] to its knees.”

On March 14, Turkish authorities reportedly made a number of arrests—more than 30, some in Sanliurfa. According to security officials, one of the two alleged attackers was a 22-year-old female member of the PKK, reported Reuters.

Turkey’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the attack and expressed condolences for the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the several wounded, in a statement released on March 13. “We assert that all this pain brought on our people will not deter us from brotherly feelings,” read a part of the statement posted on the party’s English-language website.

Shortly after the attack, a curfew was put in place in three towns in southeast Turkey, while Turkish warplanes struck PKK camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. Eleven Turkish warplanes struck 18 different targets early on Monday, according to the Turkish military. The PKK later confirmed the attacks.

The United States government had warned U.S. citizens two days before the attack, about a potential terror strike in the Turkish capital.

“The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens that there is information regarding a potential terrorist plot to attack Turkish government buildings and housing located in the Bahcelievler area of Ankara.  U.S. citizens should avoid this area. We advise U.S. citizens to review their personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings and local events, monitor local news stations for updates, and follow local authority instructions,” read the March 11 statement.

At least 28 people were killed and 60 injured in a bomb attack in Ankara last month, which targeted military personnel. The attack, which took place on Feb. 17, was said to be aimed at a convoy of military vehicles passing through a part of the city close to parliament, other government buildings, and Turkey’s military headquarters.

On Oct. 10, 2015, two explosions targeted a peace rally in Ankara, killing at least 97 people and injuring close to 200. The HDP condemned the attack and stated that the suspected suicide bombings targeted the HDP.

Source: Armenian Weekly Mid-West