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| Turkish military attacked in south-east as Syrian Kurds blamed for Ankara blast | Turkish military attacked in south-east as Syrian Kurds blamed for Ankara blast |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An explosion has hit a military convoy in Turkey’s south-east, killing at least six people, as the government blamed a car bomb attack that killed 28 on Wednesday on a Kurdish militia based in Syria. | An explosion has hit a military convoy in Turkey’s south-east, killing at least six people, as the government blamed a car bomb attack that killed 28 on Wednesday on a Kurdish militia based in Syria. |
| On Thursday morning a bomb detonated by remote control hit security forces travelling in a military vehicle on a road linking Diyarbakir to the district of Lice. The military said six people died and one was seriously injured. | On Thursday morning a bomb detonated by remote control hit security forces travelling in a military vehicle on a road linking Diyarbakir to the district of Lice. The military said six people died and one was seriously injured. |
| Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkey’s prime minister, alleged that Wednesday’s attack was perpetrated by a Syrian national with links to the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) assisted with the attack, he added. | Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkey’s prime minister, alleged that Wednesday’s attack was perpetrated by a Syrian national with links to the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) assisted with the attack, he added. |
| Related: Turkey attacks: a timeline | Related: Turkey attacks: a timeline |
| “We collected intelligence all night,” Davutoğlu told reporters in Ankara. “The perpetrators have been fully identified. The attack was carried out by YPG member Salih Necar, who came in from Syria.” | |
| Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said 14 people had been held in connection with the attack. | |
| Davutoğlu said Turkish intelligence had established where the militants had crossed into Turkey and how their networks were organised. | Davutoğlu said Turkish intelligence had established where the militants had crossed into Turkey and how their networks were organised. |
| “This information will be given to all countries, primarily the five permanent members [of the United Nations security council],” Davutoğlu said, once more underlining Turkey’s opposition to the YPG’s participation at UN-brokered Syria peace talks in Geneva. | “This information will be given to all countries, primarily the five permanent members [of the United Nations security council],” Davutoğlu said, once more underlining Turkey’s opposition to the YPG’s participation at UN-brokered Syria peace talks in Geneva. |
| “The evidence that shows that the YPG is a terrorist organisation will be given to all countries … Just as we don’t sit down with al-Qaida and Islamic State, we cannot sit down with the YPG either. Those that see Turkey’s enemy as their friend will lose Turkey’s friendship.” | “The evidence that shows that the YPG is a terrorist organisation will be given to all countries … Just as we don’t sit down with al-Qaida and Islamic State, we cannot sit down with the YPG either. Those that see Turkey’s enemy as their friend will lose Turkey’s friendship.” |
| The Turkish government has lashed out at its western allies, foremost the US, over their refusal to designate the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) and its armed wing, the YPG, as a terrorist organisation. | The Turkish government has lashed out at its western allies, foremost the US, over their refusal to designate the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) and its armed wing, the YPG, as a terrorist organisation. |
| The head of the PYD denied allegations that it or the YPG was involved. “We have never heard of this person Salih Necar,” Saleh Muslim told AFP. “These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria.” | The head of the PYD denied allegations that it or the YPG was involved. “We have never heard of this person Salih Necar,” Saleh Muslim told AFP. “These accusations are clearly related to Turkish attempts to intervene in Syria.” |
| Turkish artillery in the south of the country shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in a row on Wednesday, despite calls from both the US and Russia to cease all hostilities towards the YPG in Syria. | Turkish artillery in the south of the country shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in a row on Wednesday, despite calls from both the US and Russia to cease all hostilities towards the YPG in Syria. |
| Related: With dozens killed by Ankara car bomb, focus now turns to who is responsible | Related: With dozens killed by Ankara car bomb, focus now turns to who is responsible |
| Davutoğlu added that the Turkish military conducted airstrikes against several PKK targets in northern Iraq. | Davutoğlu added that the Turkish military conducted airstrikes against several PKK targets in northern Iraq. |
| Cemil Bayik, a high-level PKK commander, told the Firat News Agency that the PKK was not directly responsible for the Ankara attack. However, he added that the attack was possibly linked to the government’s recent security operations in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish south-east. “We don’t know who did this. But we know that it could be those who have carried out retaliation attacks for the massacres perpetrated in Kurdistan.” | Cemil Bayik, a high-level PKK commander, told the Firat News Agency that the PKK was not directly responsible for the Ankara attack. However, he added that the attack was possibly linked to the government’s recent security operations in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish south-east. “We don’t know who did this. But we know that it could be those who have carried out retaliation attacks for the massacres perpetrated in Kurdistan.” |
| Erdoğan vowed retaliation over the Ankara attack. “Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion,” a statement from his office said. “We will never take a step back in our rightful struggle against all terrorist organisations.” | |
| The bombing prompted Davutoğlu to scrap a planned trip to Brussels on Thursday to discuss Europe’s migrant crisis. Erdoğan also shelved a trip to Azerbaijan. | The bombing prompted Davutoğlu to scrap a planned trip to Brussels on Thursday to discuss Europe’s migrant crisis. Erdoğan also shelved a trip to Azerbaijan. |
| Wednesday’s car bomb detonated when a convoy of military buses carrying dozens of soldiers stopped at traffic lights in central Ankara, sparking panic and chaos. Plumes of smoke could be seen from all over the city rising from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. | Wednesday’s car bomb detonated when a convoy of military buses carrying dozens of soldiers stopped at traffic lights in central Ankara, sparking panic and chaos. Plumes of smoke could be seen from all over the city rising from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. |
| The powerful blast was heard throughout Ankara, sending alarmed residents rushing to their balconies. | The powerful blast was heard throughout Ankara, sending alarmed residents rushing to their balconies. |
| “I saw a huge fireball growing,” 25-year-old witness Gurkan, who said he was standing 500 metres from the scene, said. “People started to run in all directions in panic as soon as we heard a strong explosion.” | “I saw a huge fireball growing,” 25-year-old witness Gurkan, who said he was standing 500 metres from the scene, said. “People started to run in all directions in panic as soon as we heard a strong explosion.” |
| Ankara has been on high on alert since October, when 103 people were killed in a suicide attack on a crowd of peace activists, the bloodiest attack in the country’s modern history. Last month 11 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul. | Ankara has been on high on alert since October, when 103 people were killed in a suicide attack on a crowd of peace activists, the bloodiest attack in the country’s modern history. Last month 11 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul. |
| Those attacks were blamed on Islamic State, as were two other deadly bombings in the country’s Kurdish-dominated south-east in 2015. | Those attacks were blamed on Islamic State, as were two other deadly bombings in the country’s Kurdish-dominated south-east in 2015. |
| Turkey is waging an all-out assault on the PKK, which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the south-east. | Turkey is waging an all-out assault on the PKK, which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the south-east. |
| The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country’s largest ethnic minority. | The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country’s largest ethnic minority. |
| The banned ultra-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months. | The banned ultra-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months. |