March 2016 Ankara bombing
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The March 2016 Ankara bombing killed at least 37 people and injured 125. Of the 125 individuals who suffered injuries, 19 of them were seriously harmed. Several buildings were also damaged during the event, and a bus and many cars were reportedly completely destroyed. The bombing took place on
Atatürk Boulevard Atatürk Boulevard ( tr, Atatürk Bulvarı) is the most important avenue in Ankara, Turkey. Geography The boulevard runs about in the south to north direction. At the southernmost point it intersects with Çankaya Boulevard and at the northern ...
, near
Güvenpark Güvenpark or Güven Park (literally: Trust Park), is an urban public park located adjacent to the Liberty Square in the Kızılay neighborhood of Ankara in Turkey. Established in the 1930s as part of the green belts proposed in the urban plan of ...
, at a point where several bus stops were located. A car laden with explosives was used for the attack, and the buses carrying civilians were targeted. The area was subsequently evacuated as a precaution against the possibility of further attacks. Following the attack, Turkish authorities reportedly imposed media restrictions: journalists said some broadcast media were subject to a ban on covering aspects of the attack, and the Turkish broadcasting authority,
RTÜK Radio and Television Supreme Council ( tr, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu), also known in short as RTÜK, is the Turkish state agency for monitoring, regulating, and sanctioning radio and television broadcasts. RTÜK was founded in 1994 and is ...
, issued a ban on covering aspects of the explosion. Analysts also said that access to
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
sites such as
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and
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
was "extremely slow or blocked after the explosion," as social media sites in Turkey were reportedly blocked with the justification that the sites contained graphic images of the explosion. The daily ''
Sözcü ''Sözcü'' (English: ''Spokesperson'') is a popular Turkish daily newspaper. ''Sözcü'' was first published on 27 June 2007 by Burak Akbay and is distributed nationwide. As of June 2018, it is one of the top-selling newspapers in Turkey, with ...
'' reported that the
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
identified the assailant as Seher Çağla Demir, a Kurdish militant studying at
Balıkesir University Balıkesir University () is a public university in Balıkesir, Turkey. It was established in 1992. History The roots of Balikesir University date back to Karesi Teacher Training School, which was established in 1910. Balikesir State Engineerin ...
. A few days later on 17 March 2016, the
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks or TAK ( ku, Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan), is a Kurdish nationalist militant group in Turkey seeking an independent Kurdish state in Turkish Kurdistan (eastern and southeastern Turkey). The group also opposes the Tu ...
(TAK) claimed responsibility. The group had already claimed the previous Ankara bombing in February.


Background

The attack came at a time when Turkey was facing multiple security threats. It was a member of the coalition fighting against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
. There was also an ongoing
conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...
in the country's southeast with the
Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of south ...
(PKK), following the collapse of a truce in July 2015. This attack was the third major attack in Ankara in six months, less than a month earlier on 17 February, another bombing had killed 30 in central Ankara. That attack was claimed by the
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks or TAK ( ku, Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan), is a Kurdish nationalist militant group in Turkey seeking an independent Kurdish state in Turkish Kurdistan (eastern and southeastern Turkey). The group also opposes the Tu ...
(TAK).


Intelligence

On 27 February, Ankara Police conducted searches for a car bomb in the Kızılay area. There had been Turkish intelligence about 6 bomb-laden cars that were being prepared for an attack by the and there was an active search at the time of the attack for these vehicles in eastern and southeastern Turkey. The United States embassy in Ankara had warned its citizens about a possible attack in the city on 11 March. However, the warning had indicated the
Bahçelievler Bahçelievler (meaning "houses with gardens" in Turkish) is a large middle class residential suburb of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European side of the city. It is accessible from the D.100 that runs from the Istanbul airport to the Asian side of ...
area as the likely site of the attack, which is located at
the same The Same was a punk band from Sundsvall. Members were among others Magnus Holmén, Per Kraft, Peter Byström and Tomas Broman. Their most popular song was "Kuken i styret". This song also resulted in that the P3 radio show Ny våg was convicte ...
district as Kızılay where the attack took place. The Intelligence Department of the
Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...
also reported in a document a "specific warning to a possible terror attack in Ankara, mentioning areas near the blast site of the explosion".


Attack

The area hit serves as a
transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...
hub in the city, where a number of bus lines meet. A number of bus stops are present at the site, which is next to Güvenpark and next to the
Kızılay Square July 15 Kızılay National Will Square ( tr, 15 Temmuz Kızılay Millî İrade Meydanı), originally Kızılay Square (''Kızılay Meydanı''), is one of the most important centers and junction points of Ankara, Turkey. Geography The square at ...
, considered the heart of Ankara. It is one of the most crowded areas of Ankara with metro and
Ankaray Ankaray, designated as the A1, is a long rapid transit line of the Ankara Metro system in Ankara, Turkey. Opened in 1996, it is the oldest rapid transit line in Ankara and the second oldest in Turkey after the M1 line of the Istanbul Metro. Ank ...
stations also having exits at the area. The Ministry of National Education, the
Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...
and the former Prime Ministry building are all close to the site of the bombing. A
car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...
was used for the attack. According to the state channel, TRT, the car hit a bus carrying 20 civilians. An eyewitness stated that while a bus, carrying 40 people, slowed down, the car exploded whilst going by it. The bomb was packed with nails and pellets to maximise the damage. The explosions could be heard from kilometers away and resulted in a shower of debris in an area extending for a few hundred meters. A car laden with explosives was used for the attack and buses carrying civilians were targeted. On 17 March 2016, the
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks or TAK ( ku, Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan), is a Kurdish nationalist militant group in Turkey seeking an independent Kurdish state in Turkish Kurdistan (eastern and southeastern Turkey). The group also opposes the Tu ...
(TAK), that had also been responsible for the previous Ankara bombing in February, claimed responsibility for the attack. TAK also identified the bomber as Seher Çağla Demir. The TAK claimed that they targeted security forces and they apologized for civilian casualties but warned that further civilian casualties were inevitable. The location of the bombing was 10 to 20 metres from the closest police station. The correspondent of
France24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Mou ...
in Turkey commented on TAK's statement by saying "morally that holds no water because there were scores of civilians at that bus terminus". TAK claims that it has split from the PKK, but it is controversial whether the groups are linked; many sources consider TAK to be affiliated to the PKK.


Victims

The reported casualties include: * Elif Gizem Akkaya (19): a first year computer engineering student at the University of Turkish Aeronautical Association in Ankara. Akkaya volunteered at Losev, a foundation for children with leukaemia, and TEMA, a foundation that works to protect natural habitats. In memoir of Akkaya, her friends launched the Elif Gizem Akkaya Science and Technology Project which visit high schools to teach students basic robotics and coding skills. * Ozan Can Akkus (20): a first year Electrical Engineering student at ODTU university. Akkus had recently lost a close friend (Ali Deniz Uzatmaz) in another bombing in Ankara the year prior. * Feyza Acisu (20): a fourth year student at Gazi University in the Foreign Languages Department of the Faculty of Education. Acisu died waiting for transport after attending a course. * Nevzat Alagoz (42): a father-of-two, and a police officer. Alagoz died trying to get home after being on duty at a Genclerbirligi-Galatasaray match. * Mehmet Alan (26): worked at Tabiat Tarihi Museum since 2015. * Elvin Bugra Arslan (20): born in Ankara, Arslan graduated from Gazi Çiftliği High School, and in 2004 started his bachelor degree at Çankaya University studying International Commerce. Arslan developed an amateur interest in music in his high school years and played basketball in Fenerbahçe Sports Club Youth Team then football in Gençlerbirliği SC youth team. Arslan had an interest in philosophy, history and mythology. * Feyyaz Aydin (24): a student at Gazi University. Aydin died in hospital after the blast. * Berkay Bas (20): a first year metallurgical engineering student at ODTU University. * Ayse Bilgilioglu (66): originally from Sivas. Bilgilioglu was the mother of 3 and died while waiting at the bus stop. Bilgilioglu lived in Ankara during the winters and worked with her husband servicing an apartment building in Cankaya. * Turgay Bulut (28): the father of a daughter and worked as a taxi driver. Bulut had just dropped off his last passenger and was returning to the taxi stop when caught in the bombing. * Kemal Bulut: on his way home after watching his son's team play in the Genclerbirligi-Galataysaray football match. Bulut's son Umut Bulut was a player on the Galatasaray team. * Mehmet Emir Cakar (16): a high school student who had moved to Ankara from Kutayha in 2010 because he needed a liver transplant. He was due to receive a liver donation from his father. Cakar died while waiting at the bus stop. *Sumeyra Cakmak (22): in her final year of study at Gazi University, studying Chemistry at the Faculty of Education. Cakmak was the second of three children and was on her way back from attending a course. * Nusrettin Can Çalkınsın (20): a first year student of Gazi University, Faculty of Law. Çalkınsın was with his girlfriend Zeynep Başak Gülsoy at the time of the blast. She also died in the bombing. * Bagdat Cermik (75), Muharrem Cermik (80) and Perihan Cermik (55): a mother, father and daughter who died after getting caught in the blast. Muharrem Cermik was retired from working with the National Lottery company. * Fehmi Cetinkaya (67) *Hamide Sibel Cetinkaya (55): worked at the Ministry of Education. She had just come off the metro and was waiting for a minibus when the explosion took place. Cetinkaya had lost her husband three years earlier to cancer and left behind two daughters. * Yasar Durakoglu (69): an Assistant Principal of Ankara Bahçelievler Deneme high school where he taught art history. * Oguzhan Dura (42): had been working as the Chief Supervisor of General Directorate of Foundations and was originally from Samsun. * Murat Gul (26): was working as a private security officer at the Turkish Treasury. Gul died while waiting for a bus after working over-time on the day. * Zeynep Basak Gulsoy: a first year law student at the Gazi University Faculty of Law. She was with her boyfriend, Nusrettin Can Calkinsin, also a law student, at the time of the bombing. He also died in the attack. * Kemal Kalic (49): a retired specialised sergeant. He sold lottery tickets after his retirement. * Taner Kilic (45): worked as a tea maker in an office. * Ferah Onder: an engineer working for the head of Department for General Directorate of Agricultural Reform Administrative Affairs and Coordination Department. Onder's husband Orhan Onder was heavily injured during the blast. * Durukhan Yusuf Ozdemir (18): a high school student and captain of youth basketball team of Ankara Altinel sports club. * Cemal Ozdiker (58): died after being caught in the blast while waiting at the bus stop. * Atakan Eray Ozyol (15): a high school student at Golbasi Doctor Serfaettin Tombuoglu Anadolu high school. * Destina Peri Parlak (16): a high school student She was an only child raised by her mother Hacer Parlak after her father died in a car accident before she was born. Parlak's dream was to become a teacher and she was a very good student. Parlak was out in Kizilay to meet her friends and died while waiting for the bus to go home. A park was built in her name "Destina Peri Parlak Park" in Cankaya which includes a children's playground and sports and recreation areas. * Kerim Saglam (23): had been visiting his older sister and mother in Ankara. He was a student at Eskisheir Osmangazi University at the Faculty of Education Psychological Counseling and Guidance. Saglam was planning on going to Italy the following month as an Erasmus student. He was waiting at the bus station in Kızılay to go to his sister who lived in the Sincan district. * Erdem Soydan: a taxi driver who died in the bombing. *Eyup Ensar Ulas: a married father of two. Ulas worked at his relative's tea shop and was riding on the bus to get to his home in Balgat after work. * Mehmet Yurtsever: the former district head of Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Keçiören district of Ankara. Yurtsever had been waiting at the shared taxi station at Güvenpark to get to his home in Balgat after an activity organized by CHP.


Perpetrator

Turkish Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from 2014 to 2016. He previously served as ...
said that there was "very serious evidence" that suggested that
PKK The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of sout ...
was responsible for the attack. The Ministry of the Interior identified Seher Çağla Demir, a PKK affiliate studying at
Balıkesir University Balıkesir University () is a public university in Balıkesir, Turkey. It was established in 1992. History The roots of Balikesir University date back to Karesi Teacher Training School, which was established in 1910. Balikesir State Engineerin ...
, as the assailant. Demir was born in 1992 in
Kağızman Kağızman ( ku, Qaxizman), formerly Kaghzvan (), is a town and district of Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The population was 23,100 in 2012. The current mayor is Nevzat Yıldız ( MHP), and the Kaymakam is İshak Çınar ...
,
Kars Province Kars Province ( tr, Kars ili; ku, Parêzgeha Qersê; hy, Կարսի նահանգ) is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its closed border with Armenia. The provincial capital is the city of ...
and had reportedly joined the organization in 2013. She was being tried, along with four others, for spreading PKK propaganda. Turkish sources claimed that she had allegedly crossed into
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
to be trained by the
YPG The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly-Kurds in Syria, Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the ...
. According to her father, Demir's family had lost contact with her when she enrolled in Balıkesir University in 2012. The claims about Demir's identity as the perpetrator were first reported by the newspaper ''
Sözcü ''Sözcü'' (English: ''Spokesperson'') is a popular Turkish daily newspaper. ''Sözcü'' was first published on 27 June 2007 by Burak Akbay and is distributed nationwide. As of June 2018, it is one of the top-selling newspapers in Turkey, with ...
''. It has been claimed by the Turkish media that there was a male militant accompanying Demir. 11 people were arrested in connection to the attack, and arrest warrants issued for 10 others. As PKK had only directly struck security forces during the period prior to the attack and claimed that it does not target civilians, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' commented that if PKK claimed responsibility for the attack, it would represent a major tactical shift. According to Turkish media, the car used was a 1995 model BMW that had been stolen in
Viranşehir Viranşehir ( ku, Wêranşar) is a market town serving a cotton-growing area of Şanlıurfa Province, in southeastern Turkey, 93 km east of the city Şanlıurfa and 53 km north-west of Ceylanpınar at the Syrian border. In Late Antiquit ...
on 10 January and taken that day to
Diyarbakır Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...
. It reportedly had an
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
plate number, and was owned by an elderly woman. On 26 February, the car reportedly arrived in Ankara.


Reactions


Domestic

* A security summit headed by Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from 2014 to 2016. He previously served as ...
convened after the attack. After the summit,
Efkan Ala Efkan Ala (born 21 February 1965) is a Turkish politician and former civil servant who served as the Minister of the Interior from November 2015 to August 2016;. He previously held the same post from 2013 to June 2015 despite not being a member ...
, the Minister of the Interior, deplored the attack and said that although solid evidence had been reached about the perpetrators of the attack, a certain announcement would be made the next day. * President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
made a statement, in which he said "terror is resorting to the most immoral and heartless ways" and "our citizens should not fear, for the fight against terrorism all our national institutions are carrying out in solidarity with the nation will indubitably end in success". *
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (born Kemal Karabulut, 17 December 1948) is a Turkish economist, retired civil servant and social democratic politician. He is leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and has been Leader of the Main Opposition in ...
, the leader of the main opposition
Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party ( tr, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, , acronymized as CHP ) is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey which currently stands as the main opposition party. It is also the oldest political party ...
(CHP), wrote that this was a "terrorist attack that should be condemned without saying 'but' or 'however'". * The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) issued a statement condemning the attack. In the statement it shared "the huge pain felt along with our citizens". *
Devlet Bahçeli Devlet Bahçeli (born 1 January 1948) is a Turkish politician, economist, former deputy prime minister, and current chairman of the far-right, ultranationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). An academic in economics from Gazi University, B ...
, head of the
Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has been ...
, wrote that "no terrorist attack can bring Turkey on its knees", that the Turkish nation was united against "the plans of the brutes, the calculations of the troublemakers and the merchants of death" and that "the hotbeds of treason will not only be humiliated, but will also pay for this". * Protesters in Istanbul's
Taksim Square Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...
attempted to hold a commemoration for the victims. The protesters were dispersed by the police using pepper spray and some protesters were arrested. * Following the bombing, national mourning was not declared.
Mahmut Tanal Mahmut Tanal (born 1 January 1961) is a Turkish politician and former lawyer who serves as a Member of Parliament for Istanbul in the Grand National Assembly. He is a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP). Background Tanal was born in ...
, a member of the parliament from the CHP, proposed three days of national mourning to the parliament. * Abdülkadir Selvi, Ankara representative of the pro-government newspaper ''
Yeni Şafak ''Yeni Şafak'' ("New Dawn") is a conservative, Islamist Turkish daily newspaper. The newspaper is known for its hardline support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party and has a very close relationship with the Turkish governmen ...
'', said "Yes, it hurts, but we have to learn to live with terror for a while" on the TV channel
NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Televis ...
. His words were widely criticized on social media. * Pro-government newspaper ''Milat'' covered the attack only as a sub-heading on its main page. Its main story was the results of a poll that indicated majority support for the executive presidency of Erdoğan, with the title "President Erdoğan". The newspaper was heavily criticized as the topic became one of the most popular on Twitter.


International

* : Argentinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship condemned the attack and called it "brutal". *: Australia's Ambassador to Turkey, James Larsen, was in his car with his daughter about 20m from the explosion when the bomb went off on the other side of the
traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traf ...
s where they were stopped.Ankara bombing: Australian ambassador to Turkey recounts chaotic blast scene
Amy Sherden,
ABC News Online ABC News, or ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs. The division of ...
, 14 March 2016
The
Foreign Minister of Australia The Minister for Foreign Affairs (commonly shortened to Foreign Minister) is the minister in the Government of Australia who is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Senato ...
Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...
spoke to the Ambassador soon after the incident, got his first hand report, and condemned the bombing.Close call for Australian ambassador to Turkey, just metres from Ankara bomb attack
Emily Bourke,
ABC News Online ABC News, or ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs. The division of ...
, 14 March 2016
*:
Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...
stated that "Canada is appalled by this latest, senseless attack in Ankara. Our thoughts are with our friend and ally Turkey." *: A statement released by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
condemned the bombing in Ankara, saying that the country "stands with the Turkish people at this critical moment", the statement further stressed the need for the "international community to stand side by side to confront the phenomenon of terrorism and uproot it". *: High Representative for Foreign Affairs
Federica Mogherini Federica Mogherini (; born 16 June 1973) is an Italian politician who served as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. She previously served as I ...
and
European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy The Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement is the member of the European Commission in charge of overseeing the accession process of prospective new member states and relations with those bordering the European Union (EU). The present ...
Johannes Hahn Johannes Hahn (born 2 December 1957) is an Austrian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Budget and Administration under Ursula von der Leyen since 1 December 2019. He previously served as European Commissioner for European Ne ...
sympathized with the people of Turkey in a joint statement and reiterated the union's commitment to enhance international efforts against terrorism. *: Iran's
Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
has strongly condemned the deadly terrorist explosion in Turkey's capital,
Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
, calling for a collective fight against
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
. *:
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
condemned the attacks and stated that his thoughts were with the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery. * : The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
issued a statement saying "The people and government of Indonesian offer sympathy and deep condolences to the Turkish people and government, particularly to the victims and victims' families." *: The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the attack. The statement says "The Philippines condemns in the strongest possible terms the inhumane and dastardly terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Ankara, Turkey on 10 October 2015, who were gathering in support of peace. We share the grief and sorrow of the Turkish nation". The statement also said that "The Philippines affirms its commitment to peace and adherence to the rule of law and, together with the international community, stands by Turkey in its fight against terrorism". *: In a statement made by spokesman
Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
condemned the attack and sent condolences to the people of Turkey. *: A statement was released which condemned the bomb attack. *: Tunisia condemns the attack. *: President
Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...
stated that he is "shocked with another horrible attack in Ankara", continuing: "Terror can't be justified, just be condemned. Ukraine stands with Turkey and its people". *: Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
tweeted "My thoughts are with all those affected," saying that he was "appalled" by the bombing. *: The White House released a statement condemning the terror attack. The statement said: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to those killed and injured as well as to their loved ones. This horrific act is only the most recent of many terrorist attacks perpetrated against the Turkish people". The statement continued with: "The United States stands together with Turkey, a NATO ally and valued partner, as we confront the scourge of terrorism."


Aftermath

Following the attack, nine
F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
s and four
F-4 The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bo ...
s of the
Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known t ...
raided 18 PKK positions in
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also incl ...
. The areas raided included the Qandil Mountains, the base of PKK leadership. 36 suspected members of PKK or the affiliated
Group of Communities in Kurdistan The Kurdistan Communities Union ( ku, Koma Civakên Kurdistanê, italic=yes, KCK) is a Kurds, Kurdish political organization committed to implementing Abdullah Öcalan's ideology of democratic confederalism.Abdullah Öcalan, Öcalan, Abdullah]Decl ...
(KCK) were arrested in 45 different operations in
Adana Province Adana Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey located in central Cilicia. With a population of 2.26 million, it is the sixth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 79% of the r ...
. Overall, 79 people were taken into custody throughout the country. There was not a major response from the financial markets to the attack as the value of the
Turkish lira The lira ( tr, Türk lirası; sign: ₺; ISO 4217 code: TRY; abbreviation: TL) is the official currency of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. One lira is divided into one hundred ''kuruş''. History Ottoman lira (1844–1923) The lira, along with t ...
receded slightly against
US dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
. However, the deteriorating safety situation in Turkey caused major concerns about
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
and led to the analysis that the country is "not yet safe for long-term investors". Following the attack, residents of Ankara were in panic about their security and in the week after the attack, streets were almost "deserted" and malls were "quiet", with
Ankamall ANKAmall is the second largest shopping centre in Turkey after Cevahir Mall from İstanbul. It is located in Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, ...
reporting a decrease in visitors of at least 50%. Shop managers were worried that security concerns could have long-term effects that could destroy small businesses and also said that "the customers' return to the shopping malls will take much longer this time."


See also

*
List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016 This is a list of terrorist incidents which took place in 2016, including attacks by violent non-state actors for political motives. Note that terrorism related to drug wars and cartel violence is not included in these lists. Ongoing military con ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ankara bombing, 2016 03 2010s in Ankara 2016 in Turkey Explosions in 2016 Çankaya, Ankara Car and truck bombings in Turkey Mass murder in 2016 21st-century mass murder in Turkey Kurdistan Freedom Hawks attacks Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) March 2016 crimes in Europe March 2016 events in Turkey 2016 03 Terrorist incidents in Ankara Terrorist incidents in Turkey in 2016 2016 murders in Turkey