Car bomb in Turkey's capital Ankara kills at least 34, wounds 125

[webfact]

Turkey: Dozens killed and injured in Ankara car bomb
By Alasdair Sandford



ANKARA: -- A large explosion – thought to have been caused by a car bomb – has struck the centre of the Turkish capital Ankara, killing at least two dozen people and injuring scores of others.

According to reports quoting the Turkish health minister, the attack has killed at least 34 people.

Earlier, security officials put the death toll at least 32. The governor’s office initially said 27 had died.

Some 75 people have been injured in the bombing and have been taken to various hospitals around the city.

The blast happened just before 6.45pm local time at Kizilay Square near the central Guven Park. The area was said to have been crowded at the time – it’s near a courthouse and the Justice and Interior ministries.

The state broadcaster TRT said the car exploded at a major transport hub – several bus stops are located there – hitting a bus carrying some 20 people.

The blast was heard several miles away and left a large cloud of smoke rising over the city.

Some reports – unconfirmed – say gunfire was also heard after the explosion.

No group has yet claimed responsibility.

A Turkish security official was quoted as saying initial findings suggested the attack was carried out by the Kurdish militants the PKK or an affiliated group.

The main Kurdish party the HDP has condemned the bombing.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu convened an urgent meeting of the Security Council after the bombing.

Reports from Turkey say national media have been banned from reporting the latest explosion, in line with restrictions imposed in recent months.

A court in Ankara ordered a ban on access to Facebook, Twitter and other sites in Turkey, after images from the car bombing were shared on social media – according to broadcasters CNN Turk and NTV.

This is the third major attack in Ankara in six months.

The blast comes less than a month after a car bomb attack on a military bus in Ankara killed 29 people. Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for that attack.

Last October more than a 100 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Kurdish peace rally in the city.

Militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State have also carried out several attacks since last summer – including a suicide bombing in Istanbul in January which killed 10 German tourists.

The US embassy had warned two days ago that there was information regarding a potential attack on a government building in Ankara – but the site is several kilometres away from the scene of tonight’s blast.

Turkey, a NATO member, is facing security threats on several fronts – notably from Kurdish militants and from ISIL from its base in neighbouring Syria – where it’s part of the US-led coalition.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-03-14

[webfact]

Car bomb in Turkey's capital kills at least 34, wounds 125
By SUZAN FRASER

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A suicide car bomb went off near bus stops in the heart of Turkey's capital on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and wounding around 125 others, officials said. Two of the dead are believed to be the assailants.

A senior government official told The Associated Press that police suspect that Kurdish militants carried out the attack, which occurred on Ankara's main boulevard, close to ministries.

At least of the bombers was a woman, he said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity on the grounds that the investigation was ongoing.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to bring "terrorism to its knees" and said Turkey would use its right to self-defense to prevent future attacks.

"Our people should not worry, the struggle against terrorism will for certain end in success and terrorism will be brought to its knees," Erdogan said.

Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 19 of the wounded were in serious condition. He said that 30 of the fatalities died at the scene, while the other four perished at hospitals.

Interior Minister Efkan Ala said the attack, which came as Turkey prepared to launch large-scale military operations against Kurdish militants in two towns, wouldn't deter the country from its fight against terrorism. He confirmed the blast as a car bomb that targeted civilians at bus stops on Ataturk Bulvari close to Kizilay square.

Ala said authorities had obtained evidence pointing to the group behind the attack, but said an announcement would be made after the investigation is completed, most probably on Monday.

The private NTV news channel said several vehicles then caught fire following the blast which also shattered the windows of shops that line the boulevard and the square.

Dogan Asik, 28, said he was on a packed bus when the explosion occurred.

"There were about 40 people," said Asik, who sustained injuries on his face and arm. "It (the bus) slowed down. A car went by us, and 'boom' it exploded."

Police sealed off the area and pushed onlookers and journalists back, warning there could be a second bomb. Forensic teams were examining the scene.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group have carried out bombings in the city recently. A far-left militant group is also active in Turkey.

The bombing is the third in the city in five months and comes as Turkey is faced with an array of issues, including renewed fighting with the Kurdish rebels, threats from the Islamic State group and a Syrian refugee crisis.

It occurred just three weeks after a suicide car bombing in the capital targeted buses carrying military personnel, killing 29 people. A Kurdish militant group which is an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, claimed responsibility for the Feb. 17 attack. The government, however, said that attack was carried out by a Syrian Kurdish militia group in concert with the PKK, which has waged a 30-year insurgency.

Sunday's attack also came two days after the U.S. Embassy issued a security warning about a potential plot to attack Turkish government buildings and housing in one Ankara neighborhood and asked its citizens to avoid those areas.

As with the previous bombings, Turkish authorities quickly imposed a ban Sunday preventing media organizations from broadcasting or publishing graphic images of the blast or from the scene.

The country's pro-Kurdish party, the Peoples' Democratic Party, condemned the attack the attack and said it shares "the huge pain felt along with our citizens." The statement was significant because the party is frequently accused of being the political arm of the PKK — an accusation it denies — and of not speaking out against PKK violence.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Turkey in renewed fighting following the collapse of the peace process between the government and the PKK in July. Authorities on Sunday had declared curfews in two towns in the mainly Kurdish southeast region in anticipation of large-scale military operations against PKK-linked militants.

Turkey also has been struck by several bombings in the last year that were blamed on IS as the government joined efforts led by the U.S. to fight the extremist group in Syria. The deadliest came in October when a peace rally outside Ankara's main train station killed 102 people.
___

Burhan Ozbilici in Ankara contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-03-14

[Scott]

A very tragic event event and my thoughts go out to the families of the dead and injured.

It does not look like the current gov't has the leadership skills necessary to deal with the multitude of problems facing the nation.

Europe might want to seriously re-think it's plan for dealing with the migrant influx by allowing Turkey a sort of fast track to EU membership. Europe might be inviting more problems than it already has. There are allegations of a lot of corruption, indications it has been complicit in its dealings with ISIS and the restrictions on freedom of speech do not go along with generally accepted European norms.

Turkey is a lovely country with very nice people, but to paraphrase an embassy official I worked with, it's a country 'speeding into the 16th century.'

[happy Joe]

Um, people are friendly and courteous everywhere, happily. It is the good right of human nature.

But the leaders of this country are not our friends. Nor that they are not friends of the Kurds they bombed relentlessly taking advantage of ISIS conflict.

Who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind. This maxim finds its full meaning.

[shirtless]

I dont agree with this but fight fire with fire , that is all arabs understand.

[Lukecan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

[clonetom]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

Point well made...

Unfortunately, outside of Europe, very few facts are presented to the general audience about this left-winged terror group. I'd like to add, that they are also very active with terror attacks in other European countries, including Germany, which has a large Turkish population and not only inside of Turkey.

[happy Joe]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I just checked in all conscience. The Minister of Turkish defense is not Kurdish. It is a lambda Turk born in Sivas, far from territories claimed by Kurdish separatists.

http://www.biyografi.net/kisiayrinti.asp?kisiid=4764

I did not check for others missing time to sort separate fact from fiction in your affirmations.

But everyone can see again that the claims of advocates of this country should be treated with great caution. This is exactly what allows me to affirm that you are the perfect fake friend that you should never turn your back.

[Lukecan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I just checked in all conscience. The Minister of Turkish defense is not Kurdish. It is a lambda Turk born in Sivas, far from territories claimed by Kurdish separatists.

http://www.biyografi.net/kisiayrinti.asp?kisiid=4764

I did not check for others missing time to sort separate fact from fiction in your affirmations.

But everyone can see again that the claims of advocates of this country should be treated with great caution. This is exactly what allows me to affirm that you are the perfect fake friend that you should never turn your back.

You have no idea whats going on. Have you even been in Turkey before, do you know what our people have suffered? Dont worry this fire will spread to Europe soon, youll know what it feels like.

[Scott]

I have many, many Kurdish friends, mostly in Norther Iraq and a few in Syria and some in Turkey. I am sympathetic to their plight, but the PKK is a terrorist organization and has wreaked havoc in Turkey. Arguably, Turkey has not always been fair to the Kurds but two wrongs do not make a right.

The killing of innocent people is not the way forward.

It's important to definitively determine who is responsible for this bombing.

[Steely Dan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

There is no excuse for targeting civilians, none whatsoever. I do feel that Erdogan has got something to answer for though. He effectively allowed free passage through Turkey for those wanting to join Isis from Europe. Then there is Erdogan's active support for terrorist group Hamas, who themselves actively target civilians. Little wonder now that Israel is supporting calls for an independent Kurdish state. You reap what you sow.

P.s Bans on the social media are something I would normally oppose, but there is ample evidence they are used by extremists to coordinate their activities, so for once I have sympathy with that move, albeit with reservations.

[geriatrickid]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

It seems to me that these attacks have been occurring for so long because of the longstanding persecution of the Kurdish people.

Your approach mirrors that of Turkey's refusal to accept responsibility for the Armenian genocide. Turkey was at one time a strong and geographically large empire. As it expanded, it crushed all who were in its way and took the lands of other nations. Much of the arab world, Israel and parts of Europe were under Turkish rule. Unlike the Roman, French and English colonial empires, Turkey did not leave behind advanced infrastructure or a functioning state. When colonial Turkey collapsed it left a mess behind, including its legacy of death and destruction of the Kurdish people. The rest of the world would be more sympathetic to Turkey's position if it had not run a brutal colonial empire characterized by genocide and mass murder.

[kiwikeith]

Um, people are friendly and courteous everywhere, happily. It is the good right of human nature.

But the leaders of this country are not our friends. Nor that they are not friends of the Kurds they bombed relentlessly taking advantage of ISIS conflict.

Who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind. This maxim finds its full meaning.

Turkey has been assisting ISIS and bombing Kurds from the Syrian border who are fighting ISIS, the Saudis are parked on the tarmac in Turkey as well.

The Saudis have been supplying arms to ISIS, American arms.

Do they not think that Kurds might retaliate, the Kurds are being persecuted by the Turkish government, its a sad and sick situation caused by sick politicians, arms manufacturers the CIA and oil companies greed.

The world is in a state of Chaos WW3 is upon us all because of sicko intervention and greed from the top.

Who suffers and is expected to fight in these Wars is the innocent at the bottom, will this ever change??? it's been the same for thousands of years, the world has gone back to slavery.

[baboon]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

"When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters."

No, I and most others call them murdering scum. Anyone who targets civilians is nothing but filth.

[JemJem]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

[arjunadawn]

Cui Bono?

(Who benefits?)

[Baerboxer]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

"When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters."

No, I and most others call them murdering scum. Anyone who targets civilians is nothing but filth.

Totally agree. Terrorists are not freedom fighting martyrs, they are people prepared to murder innocents, kill cold in cold blood, thieve, and fund their activities through all manner of criminal activities.

And yet some countries openly support terrorist organizations as it suits their foreign policy agenda.

And Hollywood still glorifies some in films that distort or bare no relation to history.

[Baerboxer]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

"When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters."

No, I and most others call them murdering scum. Anyone who targets civilians is nothing but filth.

Totally agree. Terrorists are not freedom fighting martyrs, they are people prepared to murder innocents, kill cold in cold blood, thieve, and fund their activities through all manner of criminal activities.

And yet some countries openly support terrorist organizations as it suits their foreign policy agenda.

And Hollywood still glorifies some in films that distort or bare no relation to history.

[Acharn]

I dont agree with this but fight fire with fire , that is all arabs understand.

This is a very obscure and baffling statement. What don't you agree with? What Arabs are you talking about? Turks are not Arabs, Kurds are not Arabs, Turkmen are not Arabs. Turkey has been aiding ISIS for many months now, buying oil from them, allowing Saudi Arabia and Qatar to send weapons to them through Turkey, even reportedly facilitating movement of ISIS fighters through Turkish territory from one front to another to fight the Kurds. I suspect the Turkish intelligence agency of doing this in order to place the blame on the PKK, but we will probably never know unless ISIS steps up and claims the responsibility. Not clear why they would damage Turkey this way at this time, since they need all the help Turkey's been giving them. My money's on the false flag operation to stir up the Turkish public, since Erdogan and the generals have been making noises about invading Northern Iraq and they might need an excuse.

[Galactus]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

c'mon, do you expect nice feeling to kurds when civilians are bombed every two weeks?

PKK is a murderous terrorist group and this fact is accepted all over the world! so what are you supporting here? are you defending their actions? sure you are not Kurd posting here partial info? be honest!

yes Kurds are oppressed over the years and no there are no racism to Kurds from a majority of Turkish people. and bc of racism, we go bomb around? i dont see colored people did this in USA!

PKK is just a grip of foreign powers supplied by RUssia, USA and some European countries to create problems around.

all the kurds are sent away from their homes, their homes are burned and destroyed by PKK and even kurds in that region along with North Iraqi kurds hate PKK.

of course you dont mention these?

So, i believe you are misleading people by putting islamofascist Erdogan and its puppet government in your lines.

it was PKK guys climbed to a house to third floor like monkies and murdered two policemen in their sleep. They are the ones broke the truce which was going well and no blood and tears for years.

and they are i believe digging the grave of kurdish people. I feel bad for my kurd brothers.

i wish patience for the families of the deceased on this bombing, most of them were young people going to their homes from their schools.

and negative people supporting such bombing and or the ones dont care just bc these are muslim and they are turks and not Europeans or Christians:

this will make some applaud when they bombed you and your family. you do support such action, others will support such actions that might happen to you later.

[Lukecan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

It seems to me that these attacks have been occurring for so long because of the longstanding persecution of the Kurdish people.

Your approach mirrors that of Turkey's refusal to accept responsibility for the Armenian genocide. Turkey was at one time a strong and geographically large empire. As it expanded, it crushed all who were in its way and took the lands of other nations. Much of the arab world, Israel and parts of Europe were under Turkish rule. Unlike the Roman, French and English colonial empires, Turkey did not leave behind advanced infrastructure or a functioning state. When colonial Turkey collapsed it left a mess behind, including its legacy of death and destruction of the Kurdish people. The rest of the world would be more sympathetic to Turkey's position if it had not run a brutal colonial empire characterized by genocide and mass murder.

All of the countries you stated were much more prosperous under the rule of the Ottomans. The thing is you people dont understand the dynamics of the middle east, these are not civilised normal people, you have to rule them with an iron fist. You are welcome to take all of them as refugees, we are happy to send a boat load of them, take your pick, kurds, iraqis, arabs, afghans, libyans.

Greeks and Jews were the only civlised bunch under the Ottoman rule, and they were rewarded for their good deeds. Many Ottoman ambassadors were of jewish and greek descent. We had many greek governors, they held top bureaucratic appointments.

[Lukecan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

First of all let me start by disclosing my ethnicity. I am Circassian from my dads side, British from my moms. You are not telling the truth, every second post you say you are a leftist turk bla bla. The thing is there is no Kurdish problem in Turkey, there is a marxist separatist movement. They want to build a socialist regime in the east of Turkey. Erdogan is the 2nd most popular leader among Kurds after Demirbas. Are you accusing the kurds of being a mazochist? 40% of Kurds vote for Erdogan. I will paste the election data if you mislead people and call me a liar.

Kurds are divided between themselves regarding Turkey. Half of them support Erdogan, the other half dont, some of them support the seperatist movement and want a socialist regime, they probaly make up 15% of the kurds at most, not more, not less.

I am a secular, I love partying, I love alcohol, I love girls in Thailand, but that wont deter me from telling the truth. I dont support Erdogans regime either.

PKK is a terrorist organization, it is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civlians. I support the government in their fight against PKK, just as I support them in their fight against daesh.

[JemJem]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

First of all let me start by disclosing my ethnicity. I am Circassian from my dads side, British from my moms. You are not telling the truth, every second post you say you are a leftist turk bla bla. The thing is there is no Kurdish problem in Turkey, there is a marxist separatist movement. They want to build a socialist regime in the east of Turkey. Erdogan is the 2nd most popular leader among Kurds after Demirbas. Are you accusing the kurds of being a mazochist? 40% of Kurds vote for Erdogan. I will paste the election data if you mislead people and call me a liar.

Kurds are divided between themselves regarding Turkey. Half of them support Erdogan, the other half dont, some of them support the seperatist movement and want a socialist regime, they probaly make up 15% of the kurds at most, not more, not less.

I am a secular, I love partying, I love alcohol, I love girls in Thailand, but that wont deter me from telling the truth. I dont support Erdogans regime either.

PKK is a terrorist organization, it is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civlians. I support the government in their fight against PKK, just as I support them in their fight against daesh.

Turkey's main problem is not the PKK. It is the Islamofascist rule of Erdogan, and the Islamic terror groups that are wreaking havoc. Just a few hours ago, there was a terror attack in the heart of Istanbul, and most sources point to ISIS.

I have all contempt, not only for AKP-voting Turks but also for AKP-voting Kurds !

And, yes, I am a leftie Turk. I have all the reason to hate AKP and Islamism. AKP and Islamism are messing up my country;and it is sad that you are misleading people.

And, Galactus, these words are for you too !

[Steely Dan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

First of all let me start by disclosing my ethnicity. I am Circassian from my dads side, British from my moms. You are not telling the truth, every second post you say you are a leftist turk bla bla. The thing is there is no Kurdish problem in Turkey, there is a marxist separatist movement. They want to build a socialist regime in the east of Turkey. Erdogan is the 2nd most popular leader among Kurds after Demirbas. Are you accusing the kurds of being a mazochist? 40% of Kurds vote for Erdogan. I will paste the election data if you mislead people and call me a liar.

Kurds are divided between themselves regarding Turkey. Half of them support Erdogan, the other half dont, some of them support the seperatist movement and want a socialist regime, they probaly make up 15% of the kurds at most, not more, not less.

I am a secular, I love partying, I love alcohol, I love girls in Thailand, but that wont deter me from telling the truth. I dont support Erdogans regime either.

PKK is a terrorist organization, it is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civlians. I support the government in their fight against PKK, just as I support them in their fight against daesh.

Turkey's main problem is not the PKK. It is the Islamofascist rule of Erdogan, and the Islamic terror groups that are wreaking havoc. Just a few hours ago, there was a terror attack in the heart of Istanbul, and most sources point to ISIS.

I have all contempt, not only for AKP-voting Turks but also for AKP-voting Kurds !

And, yes, I am a leftie Turk. I have all the reason to hate AKP and Islamism. AKP and Islamism are messing up my country;and it is sad that you are misleading people.

And, Galactus, these words are for you too !

I have a good deal of sympathy with your opinion. Of course nothing excuses terrorism ever, it would make it easier to feel solidarity if the following nonsense wasn't coming from inside Erdogan's party.

http://m.jpost.com/Middle-East/I-wish-the-Israelis-died-in-Istanbul-attack-Erdogan-party-aide-tweets-448477

[Lukecan]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

First of all let me start by disclosing my ethnicity. I am Circassian from my dads side, British from my moms. You are not telling the truth, every second post you say you are a leftist turk bla bla. The thing is there is no Kurdish problem in Turkey, there is a marxist separatist movement. They want to build a socialist regime in the east of Turkey. Erdogan is the 2nd most popular leader among Kurds after Demirbas. Are you accusing the kurds of being a mazochist? 40% of Kurds vote for Erdogan. I will paste the election data if you mislead people and call me a liar.

Kurds are divided between themselves regarding Turkey. Half of them support Erdogan, the other half dont, some of them support the seperatist movement and want a socialist regime, they probaly make up 15% of the kurds at most, not more, not less.

I am a secular, I love partying, I love alcohol, I love girls in Thailand, but that wont deter me from telling the truth. I dont support Erdogans regime either.

PKK is a terrorist organization, it is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civlians. I support the government in their fight against PKK, just as I support them in their fight against daesh.

Turkey's main problem is not the PKK. It is the Islamofascist rule of Erdogan, and the Islamic terror groups that are wreaking havoc. Just a few hours ago, there was a terror attack in the heart of Istanbul, and most sources point to ISIS.

I have all contempt, not only for AKP-voting Turks but also for AKP-voting Kurds !

And, yes, I am a leftie Turk. I have all the reason to hate AKP and Islamism. AKP and Islamism are messing up my country;and it is sad that you are misleading people.

And, Galactus, these words are for you too !

You have no clue what your talking about, the reason ISIS is targeting Istanbul is beacuse the government is bombing the hell out of it.

[JemJem]

To Lukecan : What government ?! The Turkish one ? Almost the whole world knows by now that the Turkish government hasn't been fighting Islamic terror groups like Nusra and ISIS. AKP only bombs the Kurdish-held territory of Syria because it is against Kurdish autonomy there.

As I said before, stop misleading people. Why are you desperately defending a government that you said you don't like anyway ?

There are reports that in today's Istanbul attack, Israeli tourists were targetted.

ISIS barbarians have never targetted AKP buildings or AKP people. Now, think please why this is so !

I won't bother arguing with you from now on. You keep defending (or at least justifying) the actions of Erdogan/AKP !

[JemJem]

To Steely Dan : The social media is sadly full of such AKP barbarians, who keep writing hateful, bigoted and threatening stuff every day !

I hope everyone here can clearly understand my hatred of this Islamofascist party.

[Galactus]

Kurdistan Workers Party has carried out a devestating attack in Ankara. Hypocrisy is at its finest here, some people still saying TUrkey killed kurds bla bla. Turkey has been fighting a war against this marxist seperatist group for 30 years. They happen to be Kurdish nationalists. When bomb goes off in the west you call it terror, when it goes of in Turkey you call them freedom fighters.

This time they targeted purely civilians, teenagers who came out of the university entrance exam to be exact. These type of attacks have been happening for 40 years in Turkey, they have nothing to do with Kurds, its just that minority of Kurds support this extremist terror organization.

We have 3 ministers who are of kurdish descent, one of them is the minister of defense!

I am a Turk too and I keep noticing that you are misleading people here.

Firstly, you seem to be continually attacking the PKK and hardly ever criticising Islamist terror groups or AKP/Erdogan. I sort of sense some anti-Kurdish feelings from your posts. I hope I am wrong.

The Turkish governments, for years, have often tried to put all kinds of blame on the PKK. Sometimes, they were right but often, no ! It was often 'deep-state forces' (right wing paramilitary forces or Islamist groups used by the state) that carried out the atrocities. And, it hasn't been confirmed that the PKK has carried out this new attack. If AKP says that the PKK has done it, it is up to people to believe it or not. Unless there is solid independently confirmed evidence, I certainly won't believe it. Erdogan has been looking for a pretext to invade northern Syria. This could be the one, I fear.

No, man, I won't stay quiet, while you write stuff in such a way that implies that this government is doing the right thing and that there is no racism towards the Kurds. Please stop misleading people ! Even very recently, the Turkish security forces have carried out atrocities against Kurds in places like Sur and Cizre. Last year, fascist groups and individuals carried out attacks on the offices of the mainly Kurdish HDP, before the general elections. There were dozens of such attacks and only a handful of people were arrested in total (they are probably all out now). Justice is also virtually dead in Turkey.

And, gees. You seem to be a secularist person. Why are you so keen on defending AKP/Erdogan ?!

First of all let me start by disclosing my ethnicity. I am Circassian from my dads side, British from my moms. You are not telling the truth, every second post you say you are a leftist turk bla bla. The thing is there is no Kurdish problem in Turkey, there is a marxist separatist movement. They want to build a socialist regime in the east of Turkey. Erdogan is the 2nd most popular leader among Kurds after Demirbas. Are you accusing the kurds of being a mazochist? 40% of Kurds vote for Erdogan. I will paste the election data if you mislead people and call me a liar.

Kurds are divided between themselves regarding Turkey. Half of them support Erdogan, the other half dont, some of them support the seperatist movement and want a socialist regime, they probaly make up 15% of the kurds at most, not more, not less.

I am a secular, I love partying, I love alcohol, I love girls in Thailand, but that wont deter me from telling the truth. I dont support Erdogans regime either.

PKK is a terrorist organization, it is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civlians. I support the government in their fight against PKK, just as I support them in their fight against daesh.

Turkey's main problem is not the PKK. It is the Islamofascist rule of Erdogan, and the Islamic terror groups that are wreaking havoc. Just a few hours ago, there was a terror attack in the heart of Istanbul, and most sources point to ISIS.

I have all contempt, not only for AKP-voting Turks but also for AKP-voting Kurds !

And, yes, I am a leftie Turk. I have all the reason to hate AKP and Islamism. AKP and Islamism are messing up my country;and it is sad that you are misleading people.

And, Galactus, these words are for you too !

i hate akp and their islamism and fully aware of the mess in turkey bc of them too. but i dont defend a violent terrorist attack just bc i will oppose islamofascist erdogan.

i am a left wing guy too but cannot support the killing of innocents going to their homes after schools or work.

PKK? they are not doing good for kurdish people. i support kurdish people's possible free state ideas but with pkk terrorizing around, it will not be happening any time soon. PKK is also fascist not different from Erdogan, basically fascist kurds!

and if you cant see this, well, up to you but you better dont tell around you are a leftie by believing immature ideas and words blindly.