A car bomb attack which killed 28 people in Turkey last night was carried out by a Syrian Kurd who had registered in the country as a refugee, the country's prime minister claims.
Detonating close to the parliament and armed forces headquarters in the country's capital, buses carrying military personnel were among those hit by the blast.
It marked the second deadly bomb attack to hit the country in the past few months as Ankara battles with growing disorder among its own Kurdish population and chaos south of its border.
However, the bomb attack has now been followed by a blast in the country's south-east, where today a remote controlled explosive targeting a military convoy killed seven.
The explosion hit the armoured vehicle on the highway linking Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast, to the district of Lice.
Detonating close to the parliament and armed forces headquarters in the country's capital, buses carrying military personnel were among those hit by the blast.
It marked the second deadly bomb attack to hit the country in the past few months as Ankara battles with growing disorder among its own Kurdish population and chaos south of its border.
However, the bomb attack has now been followed by a blast in the country's south-east, where today a remote controlled explosive targeting a military convoy killed seven.
The explosion hit the armoured vehicle on the highway linking Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast, to the district of Lice.
The blast, which occurred close to the country's parliament, killed 28 people and wounded dozens more.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was today unequivocal in who he believed was to blame for last night's attack.
Claiming the bomber was identified by his fingerprints, he stated: 'The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria.
Claiming the bomber was identified by his fingerprints, he stated: 'The attack was carried out by the PKK together with a person who sneaked into Turkey from Syria.
The head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party today denied the Prime Minister's allegations.
'We deny any involvement in this attack,' Saleh Muslim said, after his party's armed wing was accused of carrying out the attack in coordination with the PKK - which is outlawed in Turkey.
In October, suicide bombings blamed on ISIS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years.
Turkey's military meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the deadly attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
The military said today that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim could not be verified.
Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflic
'We deny any involvement in this attack,' Saleh Muslim said, after his party's armed wing was accused of carrying out the attack in coordination with the PKK - which is outlawed in Turkey.
In October, suicide bombings blamed on ISIS targeted a peace rally outside the main train station in Ankara, killing 102 people in Turkey's deadliest attack in years.
Turkey's military meanwhile, said its jets conducted cross-border raids against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, hours after the deadly attack, striking at a group of about 60-70 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
The military said today that Turkish jets attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region, hitting the group of rebels which it said included a number of senior PKK leaders. The claim could not be verified.
Turkey's air force has been striking PKK positions in northern Iraq since a fragile two-and-a-half year-old peace process with the group collapsed in July, reigniting a fierce three-decade old conflic
Our determination to retaliate to attacks that aim against our unity, togetherness and future grows stronger with every action,' President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. 'It must be known that Turkey will not refrain from using its right to self-defense at all times.'
The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges.
Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced.
Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the U.S. to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on ISIS.
The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border.
The attack came at a tense time when the Turkish government is facing an array of challenges.
Hundreds of people have been killed in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process and tens of thousands have been displaced.
Turkey has also been helping efforts led by the U.S. to combat the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, and has faced several deadly bombings in the last year that were blamed on ISIS.
The Syrian war is raging along Turkey's southern border. Recent airstrikes by Russian and Syrian forces have prompted tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to Turkey's border.
Source of : Daily Mail
Saturday . 20 February 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment