ANKARA: On Sunday, in front of Turkish government buildings in Ankara, two attackers triggered an explosion, resulting in the deaths of both assailants and injuries to two police officers. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, marking the first terrorist incident in the capital in years.
Surveillance footage, obtained by Reuters, shows a vehicle pulling up to the main gate of the Interior Ministry, with one of the occupants hastily approaching the building before being engulfed in an explosion, while the other remains on the street.
The explosion claimed the life of one attacker, and authorities “neutralized” the other, as stated by the interior minister. This incident shook a central district that houses ministerial buildings and the nearby parliament.
Hours later, during the opening of a new parliamentary session, President Tayyip Erdogan referred to the morning attack as “the latest attempt” to spread terror among Turks, emphasizing that those who threaten citizens’ peace and security have not and will not succeed in their goals.
According to the ANF News website, closely associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, a group known as the ‘Immortals Battalion’ claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as a ‘suicide attack’ coordinated with the parliament’s opening and executed by “a team of ours linked to our Immortals Battalion.”
The PKK has been classified as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union. It initiated an insurgency in southeast Turkiye in 1984, leading to over 40,000 casualties in the conflict.
The explosion on Ataturk Boulevard marks the first such incident in Ankara since 2016 when a series of deadly attacks afflicted the country. Subsequent videos displayed a Renault cargo vehicle parked at the site, with shattered windows and open doors, amidst debris and a heavy presence of soldiers, ambulances, fire trucks, and armored vehicles.
A senior Turkish official informed Reuters that the attackers had commandeered the vehicle and killed its driver in Kayseri, a city located 260 km (161 miles) southeast of Ankara, before carrying out the attack. One of the injured officers sustained shrapnel injuries, the official added.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared details of the incident on social media, confirming that the two officers suffered minor injuries in the 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) attack. He also reiterated that the struggle against terrorism would persist until the last terrorist is neutralized, echoing similar sentiments expressed by other Turkish officials.
In response to “suspicious package incidents,” controlled explosions were conducted by the police in other parts of Ankara, though authorities did not identify any specific militant group.
This incident comes almost a year after an explosion in central Istanbul resulted in six fatalities and 81 injuries. Turkiye attributed that attack to Kurdish militants.
Between 2015 and 2016, during a series of violent incidents, various groups, including Kurdish militants, the Islamic State, and others, either claimed responsibility or were held responsible for multiple attacks in major Turkish cities. In March 2016, a car bomb explosion at a crowded central transport hub in Ankara led to the loss of 37 lives.
On Sunday, Ankara’s chief prosecutor initiated an investigation into what was also labeled as a terrorist attack.
In the coming weeks, Turkiye’s parliament is expected to consider Sweden’s NATO membership bid, after initial objections and the postponement of the bloc’s expansion by Turkiye.
Though President Erdogan did not explicitly mention Sweden or NATO, he stressed the importance of agreeing on a new constitution during the new session. The parliament’s speaker affirmed that their agenda would not yield to terrorism.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, strongly condemned what he termed a terrorist attack, while EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi expressed support for Turkiye in its fight against terrorism.
Source: Reuters
