Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Reportedly Blames Islamic State For Ankara Bombings Which Killed 97 People

by Diana Tomale / Nov 01, 2015 10:51 PM EST

97 people died after two bombs exploded at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey on Saturday. (Photo by Burak Kara / Getty Images)

97 people died and more than 400 others were left wounded after two bombs exploded at a peace rally in Ankara on Saturday morning, as per Turkish Medical Association. The peace rally held near the main train station in Ankara was attended by pro-Kurdish activists, as noted by CNN Oct. 11.

"In total 97 people have been murdered, 68 of them died right after the blast, whereas 29 of them were severely wounded and sent to the hospitals, where they lost their lives," said Dr. Huseyin Demirdezen of Turkish Medical Association.

Although no group has taken the responsibility for the attacks in Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reportedly pointed the finger at the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In addition, the government deemed the explosions caused by two suicide bombers, BBC News reported Oct. 12

"We investigate Daesh (ISIS) as our No. 1 priority," Prime Minister Davutoglu told television station NTV during an interview on Monday. "There [has] been good progress toward identifying a name. That name points to an organization."

He added, "This attack will not turn Turkey into a Syria."

The Turkish prime minister also revealed that one of the alleged suspects was almost identified through DNA tests, adding that the results would lead to identifying the group behind the bombings in Ankara on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly ordered a probe into probable failings on the incident in Ankara. Erdogan said he assigned the State Supervisory Council (DDK: Devlet Denetleme Kurulu) to start a special investigation "to handle [the attack] from a different perspective," Yahoo! News forecasted Oct. 13.

"There must undoubtedly be a mistake, a shortcoming in some place. Of what dimension? This will emerge after examinations," Erdogan said.

The Turkish president added, "If there's any negligence of duty, then both the prime minister and related units will take steps needed. Nobody should doubt it."