Turkish PM blames suicide bombers in peace rally attack that killed 97

Doug Stanglin and Special Turkey Correspondent | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Two explosions kill at least 95 in Turkey Two explosions targeted a Turkish peace rally in Ankara Saturday, killing at least 95 people and wounding more than 240 others. Authorities suspect the blasts were suicide bombings. (Oct. 10)

ISTANBUL — Two powerful blasts rocked the Turkish capital of Ankara early Saturday morning, killing up to 97 people and wounding scores of others in the deadliest attack on the nation's soil in recent history.

The explosions, which came just seconds apart shortly after 10 a.m., occurred during a crowded peace rally near Ankara’s central train station, where hundreds of demonstrators — many of them supporters of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) — had gathered to protest escalating violence between Turkish security forces and Kurdish separatist insurgents.

Although the official death toll stood at 86 killed and 186 wounded, Selcuk Atalay of the Turkish Medical Association’s Ankara branch said late Saturday that at least 97 people died, the Associated Press reported. He feared death toll could rise even higher, since several of the wounded were in serious condition with burns.

The official death toll was released in a televised news conference by Turkey’s Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the attacks were carried out with TNT explosives fortified with metal ball-bearings. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came as the country grapples with mounting violence ahead of fresh parliamentary elections on Nov. 1.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there were strong indications that the attacks were carried out by two suicide bombers and declared three days of national mourning. "This is an attack that does not target a specific group; it is an attack on the entire nation and an attack on our unity," Davutoglu said.

Images and videos shared on social media showed chaotic scenes of devastation, with dozens of maimed bodies on the bloodstained ground, some covered with peace banners and colorful flags from the demonstration. Some 14,000 people were believed to be in the area at the time, according to local media.

One video widely shared on social media shows a group of young people holding hands and performing a traditional dance just moments before the first explosion ripped through the crowd in the background, sending a plume of fire and smoke into the air.

Saturday’s bombings comes less than three months after a suicide attack linked to Islamic State militants killed 33 people in town of Suruc, located near Turkey’s border with Syria. In June, a pair of bombs targeting an HDP rally killed four people and wounded more than 100 in the predominantly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir just days before the nation's general elections.

In Washington, the State Department and White House strongly condemned Saturday's attack. "The fact that this attack occurred ahead of a planned rally for peace underscores the depravity of those behind it and serves as another reminder of the need to confront shared security challenges in the region," the White House's National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

Turkey is facing numerous security threats linked to both domestic and regional unrest, which has pushed Ankara to launch a crackdown on Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants.

In recent months, the NATO ally country has taken a more active role in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, carrying out a limited number of airstrikes against the group while opening up its bases to coalition aircraft.

At the same time, Turkey has launched a military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in response to what it said were increasing attacks on security forces, effectively shattering a fragile 2-year-old ceasefire with the militants who have been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in a war that had claimed some 40,000 lives over three decades.

Since then, the conflict has flared anew with escalating tit-for-tat violence between Turkish soldiers and the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. The renewed hostilities followed a historic electoral victory by the pro-Kurdish HDP, which entered parliament for the first time in Turkey’s history while depriving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party of its ruling majority.

HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas, whose party has faced numerous attacks in the run-up to the June 7 poll as well as the upcoming snap elections, lashed out at the Turkish government in the aftermath of Saturday’s carnage.

“We have lost almost 150 of our people before and after the elections,” he told reporters in Ankara. “There is nobody who has been designated as ‘responsible’ and no effective investigation — there will be none regarding today's attack either. This is not an attack against unity of our state and nation. This is an attack by our nation against our people.”

In the aftermath of Saturday's blasts, pro-Kurdish news sources reported the PKK declared a unilateral cease-fire until elections on Nov. 1, calling on its fighters to halt all further armed actions against the state, unless attacked. The move was anticipated in recent days, but it remains unclear whether it will lead to a drop in violence.

The attacks sparked anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and other cities across Turkey. Hundreds of people marched down Istiklal Street, the main shopping street in Istanbul, on Saturday evening to protest the government's handling of the blasts.

"There is no excuse for what happened in Ankara," said Mehmet Aslan, a 23-year-old university student who joined the demonstration in Istanbul. "Those who are in power are responsible for this bloodshed and should resign."

Promising a full investigation of the twin blasts in Ankara, Erdogan linked Saturday’s violence to attacks by the PKK. “The terrorist attack targeting civilian citizens today at the Ankara train station is not any different from previous attacks in different locations against our soldiers, our police, our village guards, public servants and innocent citizens,” he said in a statement. “I invite everyone to act with responsibility and to take their side against terror, not with it.”

Hours after the attacks, the government imposed a temporary news blackout covering images that showed the moment of the blasts, gruesome or bloody pictures or "images that create a feeling of panic." A spokesman warned media organizations they could face a "full blackout" if they did not comply, the Associated Press reported.

Many people across Turkey said they were unable to access Twitter and other social media websites after the blasts. It was not clear if authorities had blocked access to the websites, but Turkey often imposes blackouts following attacks.

Stanglin reported from McLean, Va. USA TODAY is withholding the name of the correspondent in Turkey because of security concerns.