Posted on 02/17/2016 1:42:40 PM PST by Mariner
Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings.
The Turkish military condemned what it described as a "contemptible and dastardly" attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights in the administrative heart of the city.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said 28 people including soldiers and civilians had been killed and 61 wounded in the blast, which took place near a busy intersection less than 500 metres from parliament during the evening rush hour.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag described the attack as an act of terrorism and told parliament, which was in session when the blast occurred, that the car had exploded on a part of the street lined on both sides by military vehicles.
In a statement, French President François Hollande called the bombing an “odious attack†and expressed “support and solidarity with the Turkish authorities and the Turkish peopleâ€.
A senior security source said initial signs indicated that Kurdish militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were responsible. Separate security sources in the southeast, however, said they believed Islamic State (IS) group militants may have been behind the bombing.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
Not a good sign.
Whoever lit it is trying to start a war, and may have succeeded.
Islam.
Horrible!
PKK?
5.56mm
——an act of terrorism-—
it is an act of asymmetric war
to call it terrorism is to evade the issue of war
Reichstag Fire.
Or the Turk security services.
Or ISIS.
Or a Russian contractor.
Or, generic Jihadi nut.
Whomever it is, they want to see Turkey roll tanks into the Kurd areas of Syria.
The target was the location ...blast occurred between parliament and the Defense ministry. Someone just sent a very huge message to Turkey.
Better for the Turks, ISIS, and the Kurds to be at each others’ throats than at ours.
The main issue is whether or not we are beholden to Turkish interests and are compelled to blow taxpayer dollars on intervening for a useless country, and whether or not Israel would become a battleground for this Muslim vs Muslim war.
We should always be willing to unleash the atom against them, but so long as the Muslims only kill each other we should largely ignore them, perhaps inciting them to kill each other through literature (but NOT through giving them weapons).
You are probably correct with any of those speculations.
5.56mm
Agree. This was more than a “what difference does it make”.
Don’t know who did it, but Erdogan could be looking for an incident he can use to invade Syria and go after the Kurds.
Kurds aren’t known for suicide bombings
The sick man of Europe is having a seizure?
Note to self: cancel walking tour of Ankara.
Behold Islam!
Good summary ... dangerous times.
This is also bad news for the tourist sector in Ankara and Istanbul. Travel warnings are going out.
NOTE to hal ogen: If you cancel your walking tour of Ankara, you can still get an unscheduled aerial tour at no cost. It’s all a question of timing and location.
I suggest that you stay away from any ISIS travel bureau that claims to have a tour of Turkey that will “blow you away”.
Back to the good old days. I recall the dark of night when the bombs went off. The bad thing is they are drafted men.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.