“People came for peace but saw death”, Faruk Bildirici, the Hurriyet daily’s news ombudsman, told EFE. Separatists have carried out suicide bombings in the past in Turkey. “An atrocious and barbarian attack was carried out”, Demirtaş said.
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Twin blasts in the centre of the Turkish capital kill at least 86 and injure nearly 200 more, government says.
The Turkish government is apparently trying to block gruesome coverage of the attack, warning media organizations that they could face a “full blackout” if they did not comply.
The increasingly tumultuous situation in the surrounding region, induced by war in Syria and the rise of ISIS, allowed the Kurds (an ethnic group split across several countries) to gain more influence both in and out of Turkey. Medical officials said the number killed could increase because numerous injured are in serious condition.
Busloads of activists had travelled to Ankara from other cities to attend the rally.
“Heeding calls from Turkey and overseas, our movement has decided on a state of inactivity by our guerillas, unless our people and our guerilla forces are attacked”, Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella movement that includes the PKK, said in a statement.
Graphic pictures from the scene showed several bodies covered by flags and placards, including those of the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), with bloodstains visible and body parts scattered on the road. Police later cordoned off the area.
Television footage showed a line of young people fanned out on the street, holding hands and chanting and performing a traditional dance, then flinching as a large explosion flashed behind them.
“There was a massacre in the middle of Ankara”, said Lami Ozgen, head of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the “heinous attack”, saying it was aimed at “our unity and our country’s peace”. We continue to work with our friends and partners to combat this threat.
“It is an attempt at intimidation and an attempt to spread fear”, she said.
The U.S. State Department urged “all Turkish citizens recommit to peace and stand together against terror”. The attack, which left another 246 wounded, many seriously, was the deadliest in recent Turkish history. “We should stand shoulder to shoulder against them”. Police reportedly had to fire warning shots into the air to disperse angry crowds at the scene of the blasts.
The government had already dismissed the anticipated move as an election gambit to bolster the HDP, whose success at the June elections had helped erode the ruling AK party’s majority.
The pro-Kurdish HDP party said in a statement that it believed its members were the main target of the bombings, and leader Selahettin Demirtas blamed the state for the attack. “We are witnessing a massacre here”.
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President Obama called Erdogan Saturday to offer condolences.
