Two attackers triggered an explosion outside a government building in Ankara, Turkey, resulting in the demise of both assailants and injuries to two police officers. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, marking it as the first terrorist strike in the capital in years.
Surveillance footage obtained from Reuters reveals a vehicle stopping at the main gate of the Interior Ministry before one occupant swiftly approached the building, meeting an explosive fate, while the other remained on the street.
According to the ANF News website, affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group called the ‘Immortals Battalion’ orchestrated the attack, as stated in a PKK release. The statement labeled the incident a ‘suicide attack’ timed to coincide with the opening of parliament, carried out by a team associated with their Immortals Battalion.
It’s essential to note that Turkey, the United States, and the European Union designate the PKK as a terrorist organization. The group initiated an insurgency in southeast Turkey back in 1984, resulting in over 40,000 casualties in the ongoing conflict.
The explosion on Ataturk Boulevard marks the first such incident in Ankara since 2016, a year when the country experienced a series of deadly attacks. Subsequent footage depicted a Renault cargo vehicle parked at the scene, its windows shattered, doors ajar, surrounded by a substantial presence of soldiers, ambulances, fire trucks, and armored vehicles.
A high-ranking Turkish official informed Reuters that the attackers had commandeered the vehicle in Kayseri, a city 260 km southeast of Ankara, and killed its driver before executing the attack. One of the injured officers sustained shrapnel wounds.
Furthermore, police executed controlled explosions in other parts of Ankara in response to “suspicious package incidents,” although no specific militant group was identified.
This incident transpires nearly a year after a blast in central Istanbul left six dead and 81 wounded, with Turkey attributing the attack to Kurdish militants. Between 2015 and 2016, a series of violent events involving Kurdish militants, the Islamic State, and other groups led to various attacks in major Turkish cities. In March 2016, a car laden with explosives detonated in a crowded central transport hub in Ankara, resulting in 37 casualties.
Ankara’s chief prosecutor initiated an investigation into what has been termed a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, Turkey’s parliament is poised to consider Sweden’s NATO membership bid in the coming weeks, following initial objections and bloc enlargement delays. Though Sweden and NATO were not explicitly mentioned, President Erdogan emphasized the priority of crafting a new constitution during the new session, with the parliament speaker asserting that their agenda would not succumb to terrorism.
Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, strongly condemned the terrorist attack, and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi expressed support for Turkey in its fight against terrorism.
