Terrorist attack in Ankara, Turkey, by Kurdish militants
The March 2016 Ankara bombing killed at least 37 people and injured 125. Of the 125 individuals who suffered injuries, 19 were seriously harmed. Several buildings were also damaged during the event, and a bus and many cars were reportedly completely destroyed.
The bombing took place on Atatürk Boulevard, near Güvenpark, at a point where several bus stops were located. A car laden with explosives was used for the attack, and the buses carrying civilians were targeted. The area was subsequently evacuated as a precaution against the possibility of further attacks.
Following the attack, Turkish authorities reportedly imposed media restrictions: journalists said some broadcast media were subject to a ban on covering aspects of the attack, and the Turkish broadcasting authority, RTÜK, issued a ban on covering aspects of the explosion. Analysts also said that access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter was "extremely slow or blocked after the explosion," as social media sites in Turkey were reportedly blocked with the justification that the sites contained graphic images of the explosion.
The daily "Sözcü" reported that the Ministry of the Interior identified the assailant as Seher Çağla Demir, a Kurdish militant studying at Balıkesir University. A few days later on 17 March 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility. The group had already claimed the previous Ankara bombing in February.
Background.
The attack came at a time when Turkey was facing multiple security threats. It was a member of the coalition fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. There was also an ongoing conflict in the country's southeast with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), following the collapse of a truce in July 2015. This attack was the third major attack in Ankara in six months, less than a month earlier on 17 February, another bombing had killed 30 in central Ankara. That attack was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK).
Intelligence.
On 27 February, Ankara Police conducted searches for a car bomb in the Kızılay area. There had been Turkish intelligence about 6 bomb-laden cars that were being prepared for an attack by the PKK and there was an active search at the time of the attack for these vehicles in eastern and southeastern Turkey.
The United States embassy in Ankara had warned its citizens about a possible attack in the city on 11 March. However, the warning had indicated the Bahçelievler area as the likely site of the attack, which is located at the same district as Kızılay where the attack took place. The Intelligence Department of the Turkish Armed Forces also reported in a document a "specific warning to a possible terror attack in Ankara, mentioning areas near the blast site of the explosion".
Attack.
The area hit serves as a transport hub in the city, where a number of bus lines meet. A number of bus stops are present at the site, which is next to Güvenpark and next to the Kızılay Square, considered the heart of Ankara. It is one of the most crowded areas of Ankara with metro and Ankaray stations also having exits at the area. The Ministry of National Education, the Court of Cassation and the former Prime Ministry building are all close to the site of the bombing.
A car bomb was used for the attack. According to the state channel, TRT, the car hit a bus carrying 20 civilians. An eyewitness stated that while a bus, carrying 40 people, slowed down, the car exploded whilst going by it. The bomb was packed with nails and pellets to maximise the damage. The explosions could be heard from kilometers away and resulted in a shower of debris in an area extending for a few hundred meters.
A car laden with explosives was used for the attack and buses carrying civilians were targeted. On 17 March 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), that had also been responsible for the previous Ankara bombing in February, claimed responsibility for the attack. TAK also identified the bomber as Seher Çağla Demir. The TAK claimed that they targeted security forces and they apologized for civilian casualties but warned that further civilian casualties were inevitable. The location of the bombing was 10 to 20 metres from the closest police station. The correspondent of France24 in Turkey commented on TAK's statement by saying "morally that holds no water because there were scores of civilians at that bus terminus". TAK claims that it has split from the PKK, but it is controversial whether the groups are linked; many sources consider TAK to be affiliated to the PKK.
Victims.
The reported casualties include:
Perpetrator.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that there was "very serious evidence" that suggested that PKK was responsible for the attack. The Ministry of the Interior identified Seher Çağla Demir, a PKK affiliate studying at Balıkesir University, as the assailant. Demir was born in 1992 in Kağızman, Kars Province and had reportedly joined the organization in 2013. She was being tried, along with four others, for spreading PKK propaganda. Turkish sources claimed that she had allegedly crossed into Syria to be trained by the YPG. According to her father, Demir's family had lost contact with her when she enrolled in Balıkesir University in 2012. The claims about Demir's identity as the perpetrator were first reported by the newspaper "Sözcü". It has been claimed by the Turkish media that there was a male militant accompanying Demir. 11 people were arrested in connection to the attack, and arrest warrants issued for 10 others. As PKK had only directly struck security forces during the period prior to the attack and claimed that it does not target civilians, "The Guardian" commented that if PKK claimed responsibility for the attack, it would represent a major tactical shift.
According to Turkish media, the car used was a 1995 model BMW that had been stolen in Viranşehir on 10 January and taken that day to Diyarbakır. It reportedly had an Istanbul plate number, and was owned by an elderly woman. On 26 February, the car reportedly arrived in Ankara.
Aftermath.
Following the attack, nine F-16s and four F-4s of the Turkish Air Force raided 18 PKK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan. The areas raided included the Qandil Mountains, the base of PKK leadership. 36 suspected members of PKK or the affiliated Group of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) were arrested in 45 different operations in Adana Province. Overall, 79 people were taken into custody throughout the country.
There was not a major response from the financial markets to the attack as the value of the Turkish lira receded slightly against US dollar. However, the deteriorating safety situation in Turkey caused major concerns about tourism and led to the analysis that the country is "not yet safe for long-term investors". Following the attack, residents of Ankara were in panic about their security and in the week after the attack, streets were almost "deserted" and malls were "quiet", with Ankamall reporting a decrease in visitors of at least 50%. Shop managers were worried that security concerns could have long-term effects that could destroy small businesses and also said that "the customers' return to the shopping malls will take much longer this time."
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