A huge explosion has rocked Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and resulted in the death of 27 persons while also wounding at least 75 other people on Sunday.
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The attack took place next to a bus stop in the city while there were reports by NTV broadcaster that the attack was in fact a auto bomb near Güvenpark in Kizilay.
Last month, a Kurdish militant group claimed an attack on a military convoy in Ankara which killed 28 people. The area is close to government offices, including several ministries.
Turkey’s military headquarters and parliament are located in the area that was targeted on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Turkish journalist Guldenay Sonumut said the attack happened at an area full of buses bringing people to and from the city.
A senior security official told Reuters that the blast appeared to have been caused by a suicide auto bomb. The interior minister said they will release the name of the organization behind the attack within the next 24 hours. At least 27 are dead and 75 injured after the attack. Interior Minister Efkan Ala confirmed the suspicions but still stated that the final verdict would be declared on Monday as to who is behind the attack, after a thorough investigation.
Turkish officials have suggested that the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy, or an affiliated group, was responsible. A swarm of ambulances arrived at the scene and police helicopters hovered overhead as a large cloud of smoke rose over the city center.
In a statement, White House National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price on Sunday said the us condemns the attack “in the strongest terms”, adding, “This horrific act is only the most recent of many terrorist attacks perpetrated against the Turkish people”.
The attack drew global condemnation in statements issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, among others. The deadliest came in October when a peace rally outside Ankara’s main train station killed 102 people.
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No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s killings, but Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said investigators were following up on solid leads.
