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No less than 5 folks have been killed and 22 injured in a terrorist assault at a sprawling industrial facility of Turkey’s state aerospace firm on the outskirts of Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey’s inside minister mentioned.
Ali Yerlikaya mentioned at a press convention on Wednesday night that two terrorists had additionally been “neutralised” within the incident at Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) central campus in Kahramankazan, which is a couple of 40-minute drive from town centre.
He added that the assault was “very seemingly” carried out by the Kurdistan Staff’ social gathering (PKK), a separatist group that has fought a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.
“I condemn this heinous terrorist assault and pray to God for mercy on our martyrs,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan mentioned from Kazan, Russia,the place he’s attending the Brics summit.
Assailants struck the TAI web site with bombs and gunfire, in keeping with Turkey’s state Anadolu information service. Yerlikaya mentioned particular operations items, police and gendarmerie responded on the scene.
Wednesday’s incident comes simply over a yr after suicide bombers struck a authorities constructing in Ankara, an incident orchestrated by the PKK.
Devlet Bahçeli, Erdoğan’s ultranationalist ally, had on Tuesday this week invited jailed PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan to handle parliament if he would comply with disband the group and halt its operations — remarks that have been carried extensively throughout Turkish media.
Isis and far-left militants have additionally staged bombings in Turkey previously.
The final main spherical of terror assaults within the nation passed off from 2015 to 2017 and included a number of bombings within the capital. Ankara was additionally one of many battlegrounds within the failed 2016 army coup try, during which the parliament constructing was broken.
TAI is a nationwide champion, taking part in a central function in Turkey’s blossoming defence sector. The group designs and produces every part from plane and helicopters to drones and satellites on the 4mn sq metres Kahramankazan facility, in keeping with its web site.
No group instantly claimed duty for Wednesday’s assault, however Ankara’s chief public prosecutor’s workplace opened an investigation, in keeping with justice minister Yılmaz Tunç. The nation’s radio and tv regulator additionally instituted broadcasting bans associated to imagery from the assault, warning that those that did not comply can be “severely punished”.
Turkey’s web censors additionally clamped down on entry to main platforms, together with X, Instagram, Fb, YouTube and messaging app Telegram, mentioned Yaman Akdeniz, co-founder of the Turkish Freedom of Expression Affiliation.
He described the curbs, which authorities have typically carried out round terror assaults and elections, as “a transparent violation of communication rights of thousands and thousands of individuals in Turkey”.
A number of worldwide leaders condemned Wednesday’s assault. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences whereas sitting throughout from Erdoğan at a gathering on the sidelines of the Brics summit.
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte additionally mentioned on X that he had spoken with Erdoğan: “My message was clear: Nato stands with Turkey.”
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