At least 28 dead, 61 wounded as explosion rocks Turkish capital Ankara

A car bomb has hit the heart of Ankara in an area close to parliament and armed forces headquarters, killing at least 28. At least 28 people were killed with as many as 61 wounded in the deadly explosion in the Turkish capital, according to an official statement.
The majority of casualties were assumed to be military personnel, however, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said that the attack did not exclusively target the armed forces but was planned to hit civilians as well, dw.com reports.
“This not an attack against our military, but on our dear nation,” Kurtulmus said, calling for national unity.
The blast was caused by a vehicle which reportedly exploded during rush hour traffic near a passing van carrying military personnel. The attack occurred in the vicinity of a military dormitory attached to the headquarters of the Turkish Armed Forces in central Ankara at about 6:30 p.m. local time.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s office said it was investigating the explosion.
Davutoglu has cancelled his upcoming trip to Brussels where he was set to join the European Union summit to address issues relating to the migration crisis.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also cancelled a visit to Azerbaijan and threatened to retaliate.
“Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger with such acts,” 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 attack sparked international condemnation and words of support for Turkey.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack. “The most important thing first and foremost is my voicing regret over a despicable terror attack once again leaving so many victims behind. That was an act that has to be condemned with all strength and that proves once again how important it is for the efforts of the world community, our efforts, to intensify so that this scourge of the century’s beginning may be somehow eliminated,”  FM Lazăr Comanescu told Realitatea TV private broadcaster on Wednesday evening.