Ankara Blast Killed At Least 28 People; Turkey Reportedly Launches Airstrikes In Northern Iraq After Incident
At least 28 people were killed and 61 others were left wounded after a deadly attack in Ankara, Turkey's capital city, on Wednesday evening. Three military vehicles and a private car were hit by the deadly attack that took place in central Ankara, according to reports.
It was reported that the deadly attack was intended to hit the convoy of Turkish military, as forecasted by Al Jazeera. Said convoy halted when the traffic light turned red before it exploded killing six troops.
In a statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they will fight against people behind such deadly attack.
"We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," Erdogan said.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the incident, the government claimed it was a "terrorist" attack, courtesy of CNN.
"Our determination to respond in kind against such attacks against our unity and future from outside and inside is even more strengthened through such attacks," the Turkish president added. "Turkey will not hesitate to use its right to self-defense anytime, anywhere, and in all situations."
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter denounced the attack and said that the incident urged them to act further in fighting against terrorism.
"We strongly condemn this cowardly attack which appears to have targeted buses carrying Turkish military personnel," Carter said. "We stand with our Turkish allies in the face of this horrific act, which only strengthens our resolve to deepen our ongoing cooperation in the fight against terrorism."
Hours after the Ankara blast, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that the Turkish military reportedly launched airstrikes in northern Iraq. The prime minister added that the deadly attack in Ankara was executed by a certain Saleh Najar. The alleged suspect was born in Syria and reportedly has a connection with the YPG, armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Rojava.
"It has been revealed that a YPG member who infiltrated from Syria with members of the separatist terror organization conducted this attack," Davutoglu said.
