In a live interview on Turkish broadcaster NTV, Davutoglu said the attack was aimed to “cast a shadow” over Turkey’s parliamentary election on November. 1 and an attempt to influence the results.
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A day after the worst terrorist attack in Turkey’s modern history left almost 100 people dead, thousands of mourners gathered yesterday (Oct 11) in central Ankara, the Turkish capital, to lay carnations and rail against the government.
Security officials based in the capital told Anadolu Agency that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers using TNT explosives, with metal balls added to make projectiles.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has claimed the toll is far higher at 128 but this has not been confirmed by the authorities.
In Istanbul on Saturday, a 10,000-strong crowd accused the government of failing to protect citizens by providing security for the event, carrying placards reading “the state is a killer” and “we know the murderers”.
However, this was rejected by the Turkish government, which carried out cross-border air strikes on PKK positions in southern Turkey and Iraq on Sunday.
Kurtulmus said investigators are close to identifying the bombers, who he said had likely infiltrated from a neighboring country.
Erdogan has condemned the explosions, saying: “the greatest and most meaningful response to this attack is the solidarity and determination we will show against it”.
IS also has no love lost for Kurdish forces, since it has fought Syrian Kurdish forces who are allied with Turkey’s Kurdish rebels in northern Syria – including over the town of Kobani, which was recaptured from IS by Kurdish forces a year ago. “Instead, it enabled it”, he said, accusing the government of allowing the attack.
More than 200 people, including nine policemen, were injured in the blasts on Saturday.
Ankara joined the U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State within days after the Suruc bombing. Since the collapse of a ceasefire in July 2015, more than 2,000 PKK fighters and 150 Turkish security personnel have been killed in renewed hostilities, Anadolu report said.
The PKK on Saturday unexpectedly announced it would suspend all attacks – except in self defence – ahead of the polls. The pro-Kurdish HDP doubled its support to enter parliament for the first time by wooing Kurdish voters away from the president’s parliamentary allies.
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“There was general intelligence concerning a team called the “immortals” within Daesh (IS) making preparations, concerning preparations by the PKK”, Davutoglu said.
