Turkey plunges into mourning for the 95 victims of the two explosions that occurred yesterday in Ankara before the beginning of a protest rally against the upsurge of violence in the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. The terrorist attack, arranged by two suicide bombers, has become the largest in the history of the country.
Two explosions with an interval of three seconds occurred on Saturday October 10th at 10:04 (MSK) near the railway station before the beginning of a protest rally, which was organized by trade unions and social organizations, against the outbreak of violence in the Turkish-Kurdish conflict in the southeast of the country. The meeting was supposed to be held under the slogan "No to war, for peace, harmony, labor and democracy." Two suicide bombers blew themselves up before passing through a metal detector under an overpass as several dozen protesters walked under it. 95 people became victims of the attack, another 246 were injured.
"In connection with the terrorist attack in Ankara, I announce a three-day national mourning for the victims in Turkey," the Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu stated yesterday at an emergency meeting of the Security Council. In his opinion, responsibility for the attack may lie with Islamic State, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or two leftist extremist groups – the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party (Front) and the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.
In addition, in connection with the attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately returned from Istanbul to Ankara. He also cancelled his visit to Turkmenistan, scheduled for Monday. "I strongly condemn the terrorist attack which occurred in Ankara. This inhuman act is aimed at destabilising Turkey and destroying our unity, our brotherhood, our future. We should be together. The best answer to terrorists is our solidarity. I urge everyone to maintain judiciousness. Our law enforcement agencies will do everything possible to investigate this terrorist attack," a written statement of the Turkish leader says.
In his turn, the leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, Selahattin Demirtas, said that there are supporters of his party among the dead, and that it was the main target of the attack. According to him, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party is responsible for the terrorist attack. "Until the Justice and Development Party clearly distances itself from terrorism, the life of Turkish citizens will be under threat every day and hour. We do not expect that the organizers of the terrorist attack will be found and brought to justice, or that someone from the government will resign because of it. And since they do not resign, it means that the authorities are okay with this situation. This act of terrorism is not directed against our state or the unity of the nation, it is an attack on the people by the state," he noted.
This statement by the Kurdish politician caused a sharp reaction from Davutoglu, who described it as a provocation.
