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Car Bomb Strikes Military Convoy in Ankara, Killing 28, Officials Say Car Bomb Strikes Military Convoy in Ankara, Killing 28, Officials Say
(about 4 hours later)
ISTANBUL — A car bomb exploded in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday, striking a convoy of buses carrying Turkish soldiers and killing at least 28 people, government officials said. ISTANBUL — Turkey reeled on Wednesday from a deadly bombing of a military convoy in the capital, plunging its leaders deeper into crisis mode and underscoring the country’s vulnerability to the Syrian war and revitalized Kurdish insurgency.
The convoy was attacked when the buses had stopped for a red light, officials said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said 61 people were injured. The bombing in the capital, Ankara, made President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even more combative; he vowed to strike at enemies in Syria or anywhere else.
The prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, canceled a planned trip to Brussels after the attack, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan postponed a visit to Azerbaijian, according to his office. “Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger with such acts,” Mr. Erdogan said in a statement. “It must be known that Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defense at any time, any place or any occasion.” The blast hit a convoy of buses filled with soldiers as it was stopped for a traffic light near the Parliament building. Officials said the explosion killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 60. No group took responsibility immediately, but some officials said Kurdish militants might have been responsible.
The large explosion took place close to the Parliament headquarters, government buildings and a residential military facility in the central Kizilay district, according to local media reports. “Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger with such acts,” Mr. Erdogan said in a statement. “It must be known that Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defense at any time, any place or any occasion.”
Omer Celik, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, said on Twitter that the explosion was an act of terrorism, although he did not provide details. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Hours later and more than 2,000 miles away in what may have been a sympathy attack, an explosion severely damaged a Turkish cultural association building in a Stockholm suburb. Swedish police officials said there were no suspects.
Images broadcast on television showed a large fire and smoke in the area. As many as 20 ambulances were dispatched to the scene, according to CNN Turk, a private broadcaster. Mr. Erdogan is growing increasingly exasperated over changes wrought by the war in Syria, where Kurdish rebels, whom he considers terrorists, have gained territory along the Turkish border in the chaos created by advancing Syrian forces backed by Russian airstrikes.
The explosion Wednesday comes four months after the capital was rocked by the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s modern history, when two suicide bombers — believed by the government to have links to the Islamic State — struck a peace rally in Ankara, killing more than 100 people. The Turkish armed forces have been shelling Kurdish positions in Syria since last weekend, and Mr. Erdogan’s aides have said a ground invasion of Syria is the only way to stop the war, but the message is not resonating with Turkey’s NATO allies — especially the United States, which has angered Mr. Erdogan.
In recent months, Turkey has stepped up its cooperation with the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria, and has been attacked several times. Last month, a suicide bomber killed at least 10 tourists in Istanbul’s popular Sultanahmet district. He and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu canceled foreign trips after the bombing. Televised images showed smoke and a large fire near the site. As many as 30 ambulances were dispatched, the Health Ministry said.
In a separate conflict, the Turkish military has been carrying out a large-scale counterinsurgency campaign against Kurdish militants in the country’s volatile southeast, after the breakdown of a fragile peace process in July. Four months ago, the capital was rocked by the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s modern history, when two suicide bombers believed to be linked to the Islamic State struck a peace rally, killing more than 100 people.
Since December, many towns have been under round-the-clock curfews as Turkish military forces have clashed with Kurdish militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the P.K.K., who have been fighting for autonomy and more rights for three decades. The P.K.K. has previously carried out several attacks on military targets in Turkey, but usually in the southeast. In recent months, Turkey has stepped up cooperation with the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria, and has been attacked. Last month, a suicide bomber killed at least 10 tourists in Istanbul.
The Turkish Army on Wednesday also shelled positions held by Kurdish militias in northern Syria that it deems to be an extension of the P.K.K. for a fourth day in a row. The government fears that the Syrian Kurds’ expansion across Turkey’s 560-mile border with Syria will fuel separatist ambitions among Turkey’s own Kurds. The Kurdish insurgency is a separate conflict, but it has become increasingly intertwined with the Syrian war.
The Turkish military has been waging a counterinsurgency against Kurdish militants in the southeast, after the breakdown of a fragile peace process in July. Since December, many towns have been under round-the-clock curfews as Turkish forces have clashed with militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the P.K.K., who have been fighting for autonomy and more rights for three decades.
“The chosen target for this attack, which is our military, suggests the P.K.K is behind this attack,” a Turkish government official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
Analysts also said the assault echoed past P.K.K. attacks on off-duty officers.
“This attack demonstrates the growing linkage between Turkey’s own Kurdish problem and the Syrian war, and vice versa,” said Soner Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. As Turkey shells Kurdish fighters in Syria, he said, they may be responding in part by “effectively opening a “second front” against Ankara.