ANKARA: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has taken responsibility for a suicide bombing near the Turkish Interior Ministry in Ankara on Sunday, injuring two police officers, PKK told the ANF news agency, affiliated with the Kurdish movement.
The powerful explosion, followed by significant flames, resounded several kilometers from the attack site. The targeted area houses various ministries, including the Turkish parliament, which resumed activities as scheduled later in the day, marked by an address from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The PKK has been engaged in a deadly insurgency against Ankara for four decades, striving for Kurdish autonomy within Turkey.
President Erdogan, addressing the parliament after the incident, stated that “terrorists” would never succeed in their objectives. He emphasized, “The malefactors threatening citizens’ peace and security have not achieved their goals and will never attain them.”
Ankara Terrorist Attack
According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, the attack occurred when two assailants arrived in a commercial vehicle at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) near the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of the Ministry of the Interior. One attacker detonated his explosives, while the other was fatally shot in the head before he could trigger his device. Two police officers sustained minor injuries during the exchange of fire.
Following the incident, Ankara police headquarters announced on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that they were conducting “controlled explosions” of “suspicious packages” to prevent potential further explosions.
The Ankara prosecutor’s office has initiated an investigation into the incident, imposing restrictions on access to the area. Local media outlets were also instructed to refrain from broadcasting images from the attack site as the investigation unfolds.
