Terrorists Carry Out Bomb Attack Near Government Building In Turkish Capital

Terrorists carry out bomb attack near government building in Turkish capitalbefore the parliamentary session on Sunday. According to official reports, two individuals detonated the explosive device outside the Interior Ministry building in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya conveyed in a statement posted on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that two police officers sustained injuries during the incident, fortunately, not life-threatening.

The assailants arrived at the entrance of the building at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time in a light commercial vehicle. During the attack, one of the attackers detonated himself, while the other was subdued by security forces.

Security footage of the incident reveals a vehicle decelerating on the street near the gated entrance of the building. The vehicle comes to a halt, and the driver's side door opens slowly. One individual steps out, followed by a second person emerging from the opposite side of the car.

The second person advances toward the entrance in a tactical posture, although it remains unclear whether they are carrying a firearm, while the first person takes cover behind the vehicle. The moving assailant swiftly passes what seems to be a guard tower, and shortly thereafter, a powerful explosion occurs. Amidst the smoke, the outline of the first attacker can be discerned moving towards the gate just before the 40-second clip concludes.

The guard tower located in front of the building's entrance sustained minor damage in the explosion. Law enforcement has subsequently established a secure perimeter around the area, and footage from a news affiliate indicated that a bomb disposal team was conducting a search for any additional suspicious packages.

A bomb discovered on the person of the incapacitated terrorist was safely detonated in a controlled manner following the attack. At least two such controlled explosions were audible in televised reports.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc has announced the initiation of an investigation into the incident.

"These attacks will in no way hinder Turkey's fight against terrorism," Tunc said on X. "Our fight against terrorism will continue even more determinedly."

The bombing occurred a few hours prior to the scheduled return of lawmakers to work at 2 p.m., marking the end of the summer break.

Addressing the assembled lawmakers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a solemn commitment that Turkey would persist in its campaign against terrorism, vowing to eliminate terrorists both within the country and abroad, in the wake of Sunday's attack.

As of Sunday afternoon, no group had come forward to claim responsibility for the attack.

The attack occurred at a time when Turkish authorities have been conducting operations against ISIS members. This incident is the first of its kind since October 2015 when an ISIS assault in front of a central station in Ankara resulted in the tragic death of 109 people.

Officials reported on Saturday the discovery of multiple suspicious packages and bags in the vicinity of the attack, which are currently being safely detonated by experts in a controlled manner, leading to two audible explosions in the area.

Ahmet Keser, a retired Turkish army colonel and the head of Political Science and International Relations at Hasan Kayloncu University, described this event as "a highly coordinated terrorist incident." He further explained that the attackers appeared to have meticulously timed it to coincide with a ceremony at the parliament marking the start of the new parliamentary year.

"This might be a kind of incident to try to affect the decision of the parliamentarians as well," Kayloncu said, in reference to an expected vote on Sweden's accession to NATO.

During the mid to late 2010s, Turkey experienced a distressing frequency of terror incidents, largely attributed to the instability spilling over from war-torn Syria along their shared border.

Conclusion

In 2016, Ankara was the site of two attacks carried out by Kurdish assailants, one targeting military personnel on a bus and another at a bus stop. In 2015, a pair of bombings aimed at a peace rally near the capital's primary train station resulted in the tragic loss of nearly 100 lives. Addressing parliament, President Erdogan characterized Sunday's attack as the "last throes of terrorism" within the country.

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