The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) strongly condemns the terrorist attacks of October 10, 2015 near the central railroad station of Ankara, where an authorized rally was scheduled; the blasts caused numerous casualties and left many injured, a release from the ministry informs.
The MAE sends its condolences to the Turkish authorities and friendly Turkish nation as well as the victims’ families, and its full compassion to the persons who were injured. The MAE expresses its solidarity with the Turkish nation at this dramatic time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states its full support for the Turkish authorities’ efforts to combat any terrorist-type manifestations.
Anti-government protests broke out in front of Ankara’s hospitals and at the sites where twin bombings killed at least 95 people earlier on Saturday. Nearly 10,000 people chanted “Murderer Erdogan” referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who many accused of increasing tensions with the Kurds, dw.de reports.
Protesters also carried placards saying “the state is a killer” and “we know the murderers.” Demonstrations also took place in several other cities including Istanbul, Izmir on the Aegean Sea and the southeastern cities of Batman and Diyarbakir, the Dogan news agency reported.
Turkey’s government imposed a temporary ban on news that showed images of where the blasts occurred, or “images that create a feeling of panic.”
The government warned media organizations that they could face a “full blackout” if they defied the rules.
US President Barack Obama sent a message of sympathy after his Secretary of State spoke with his Turkish counterpart on Saturday: “The president conveyed his deepest personal sympathies for those killed and injured in these heinous attacks, and affirmed that the American people stand in solidarity with the people of Turkey in the fight against terrorism and shared security challenges in the region,” the White House said in a statement.
At least 95 people died and 246 were wounded in an attack that targeted a peace rally in Ankara’s central area on Saturday. No organization claimed responsibility for the explosions, but Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there were “strong signs” the two blasts were carried out by Kurdish militants or members of the group calling itself “Islamic State” (IS).
“For some time, we have been receiving intelligence information based on some [Kurdish rebel] and Daesh statements that certain suicide attackers would be sent to Turkey… and that through these attackers chaos would be created in Turkey,” the prime minister said in a statement, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym.
Authorities had detained at least two suspects in recent days in Ankara and Istanbul, Davutoglu said.
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