Major Terrorist Blast in Ankara: at Least 28 Dead, 61 More Wounded

PJ Media ^ | 02-17-2016 | Michael van der Galien

[Michael van der Galien]

Turkish military vehicles were hit by a major blast Wednesday evening at an intersection in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The terrorist attack came at around 6:30 p.m. local time, which is 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. In addition to three military vehicles, one private vehicle was also struck.

Ankara governor Mehmet Kiliclar says that the vehicles were attacked when they stopped at a traffic light. Currently, the body count stands at 28 people dead and 61 injured. Here's a picture of the explosion of a military bus.

TWEET

Although the radical-Islamic terrorist organization ISIS carried out a massive terror attack in Ankara last year, it's likely that the Kurdish terrorist organization PKK is behind this one. Turkish officials believe so, Al Jazeera reports, and the target of the attack also makes that the most likely explanation: ISIS usually targets civilians whereas the PKK tends to hit Turkish soldiers and policemen.

TWEET

Additionally, the PKK and the Turkish army have been having a go at each other for months now, with Ankara actively bombing the PKK-aligned YPG Kurdish fighters in Syria. If so, Turkey will ramp up its attacks on the PKK -- inside Turkey and in Syria -- even more. President ErdoÄŸan said as much just now:

TWEET

Ankara is not going to take this lying down, which will undoubtedly cause more problems in the region, including increasing tensions with Russia (Putin seems to consider the YPG his ally nowadays). It also will deteriorate the already testy relationship between Turks and Kurds even more...

[soycd]

>Putin seems to consider the YPG his ally nowadays

If only we has a leader that used such logic.

[moovova]

Workplace violence.

[Chewbarkah]

I am shocked, shocked that the Turks would pin this on the Kurds rather than ISIS, before gathering evidence.

[buwaya]

If the Kurds, this was a major error.
The last thing they need is to provoke the Turkish military.

[Dog]

This just got real serious.

[The KG9 Kid]

And if we had competent leadership in Washington, maybe we might have prevented the emergence of a new Kurdish version of the IRA attacking the cities of a major NATO member despite however terribly the Turks have historically treated the Kurds.

[bkopto]

Erdogan is an unscrupulous islamist and opportunist. This event stinks like a false flag.

[10mm]

Attacks will continue until the islamists leave Occupied Constantinople.

[dfwgator]

That’s because the Turks created ISIS.

[dfwgator]

This is Erdogan’s “Reichstag Fire.”

[Cap Huff]

Seems Erdogan is hinting it was Putin.

[dfwgator]

Attacks will continue until the islamists leave Occupied Constantinople.

Love it.

[silverleaf]

It does conveniently make the Kurds a terrorist group and give Ankara justification to go into Syria after them and also to request that NATO allies back them going into Syria

Almost “too” convenient

I smell false flag on this one

[silverleaf]

The Kurds are not this stupid

[Vermont Lt]

Folks should make sure they are paying attention to this whole Turkey thing.

This could get bad. It could get bad very quickly.

[DoughtyOne]

[SoFloFreeper]

Presbyterians.

[BlackVeil]

Agreed. The situation on the Turkish/Syrian border is ever more violent, and moving toward a wider conflict.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

That’s how Satan wins friends and influences people.