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Turkish PM blames Ankara bombing on Islamic State | Turkish PM blames Ankara bombing on Islamic State |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Islamic State (IS) group is the prime suspect in the Ankara bombings that killed nearly 100 on Saturday, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said. | The Islamic State (IS) group is the prime suspect in the Ankara bombings that killed nearly 100 on Saturday, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said. |
No group has said it carried out the attack, but the government believes that two male suicide bombers caused the explosions, hitting a peace rally. | |
The official death toll is 97, but one of the main groups at the march put the number of dead at 128. | The official death toll is 97, but one of the main groups at the march put the number of dead at 128. |
The funerals of more of the victims are taking place on Monday. | The funerals of more of the victims are taking place on Monday. |
Saturday's twin explosions ripped through a crowd of activists gathering outside the main railway station in the Turkish capital. | Saturday's twin explosions ripped through a crowd of activists gathering outside the main railway station in the Turkish capital. |
They were due to take part in a rally calling for an end to the violence between Turkish government forces and the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). | They were due to take part in a rally calling for an end to the violence between Turkish government forces and the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). |
There is anger in Turkey that authorities were unable to prevent such a major attack in the heart of the capital city - and some scepticism from opposition groups about the government's claims. | |
Mr Davutoglu said authorities were close to identifying one of the suicide bombers, using DNA tests, and that this would help to pinpoint which group carried out the attack. | |
He had previously said that IS, the PKK and far-left groups were all capable of such an attack. | |
Some local media have implicated the brother of a man who carried out an IS bombing in the southern border town of Suruc in July, which killed more than 30 people. | |
There are also reports that investigators believe there are similarities between the device used in that attack and those used on Saturday. | |
Turkey announced after the Suruc bombing that it would allow its southern Incerlik airbase to be used by the US-led coalition targeting IS in Syria. Turkey, a Nato member, shares a long land border with its unstable southern neighbour. | |
The Ankara bombings are the most deadly in Turkey's history. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is due to visit the country on Tuesday. | |
"These attacks will not turn Turkey into a Syria," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday. | |
Ankara bombings: Read more | Ankara bombings: Read more |
"This is the worst scene I've ever seen" - Shock and anger in Ankara as mourning begins | "This is the worst scene I've ever seen" - Shock and anger in Ankara as mourning begins |
Who are the Kurds? - The long history of the Middle East's fourth-largest ethnic group | Who are the Kurds? - The long history of the Middle East's fourth-largest ethnic group |
Turkey v Islamic State v the Kurds - What's going on? | Turkey v Islamic State v the Kurds - What's going on? |
What is 'Islamic State'? - A profile of the militant group | What is 'Islamic State'? - A profile of the militant group |
Speaking on Turkish television, Mr Davutoglu said the bombings were an attempt to influence the forthcoming elections, due to take place on 1 November after a vote in June left no party able to form a government. | |
Many of the victims were activists of the pro-Kurdish HDP party, which says it is now considering cancelling all election rallies. It believes its delegation at the march was specifically targeted. | |
The party gained parliamentary seats for the first time in June's vote, depriving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's governing AK Party of its majority. | |
In a statement released on Monday, the HDP's leaders said the AK Party was using "escalation of violence" as a strategy to push the leftist, pro-Kurdish party back under Turkey's high electoral threshold for entering parliament. | |
They link the Ankara bombings to the Suruc attack and the fatal bombing of an HDP electoral rally in June, labelling them a "chain of massacres", and call on the international community to take "a firmer stance" with Turkey's government. | |
The situation in Turkey was tense even before the Ankara bombings: the ceasefire with the PKK had broken down and there had been clashes between the militants and security forces, killing at least 150 since July. | |
On Saturday the PKK unilaterally declared a new ceasefire. However, this was rejected by the Turkish government, which carried out cross-border air strikes on PKK positions in southern Turkey and Iraq on Sunday. | On Saturday the PKK unilaterally declared a new ceasefire. However, this was rejected by the Turkish government, which carried out cross-border air strikes on PKK positions in southern Turkey and Iraq on Sunday. |
The BBC's Mark Lowen in Ankara says that critics of the Turkish government believe it is using IS as a scapegoat - and that murky elements of a so-called "deep state" are to blame for the bombings, aiming to shore up support ahead of the elections. | The BBC's Mark Lowen in Ankara says that critics of the Turkish government believe it is using IS as a scapegoat - and that murky elements of a so-called "deep state" are to blame for the bombings, aiming to shore up support ahead of the elections. |
Thousands of people attended the funeral of victim Uygar Cosgun on Monday, some of them chanting anti-government slogans, said the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. | Thousands of people attended the funeral of victim Uygar Cosgun on Monday, some of them chanting anti-government slogans, said the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. |
One of the victims of Saturday's attacks has been identified as 70-year-old Meryem Bulut, a member of the Saturday Mothers group, who have protested about their missing sons since the 1990s. | One of the victims of Saturday's attacks has been identified as 70-year-old Meryem Bulut, a member of the Saturday Mothers group, who have protested about their missing sons since the 1990s. |
The victims | The victims |
Turkey is mourning the deaths of at least 97 people. These are just a few of those who lost their lives, clockwise from top left: | Turkey is mourning the deaths of at least 97 people. These are just a few of those who lost their lives, clockwise from top left: |
Are you in the region? Have you been affected by the unrest in Ankara? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk to share your experiences. | Are you in the region? Have you been affected by the unrest in Ankara? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk to share your experiences. |
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or, you can comment here: | Or, you can comment here: |