By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) The perpetrators of Sunday’s foiled terrorist attack in the Turkish capital Ankara used a car they stole from a civilian they murdered, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Turkey has carried out an airstrike in northern Iraq after the suicide bombing attack, its defence ministry said.
The airstrike destroyed 20 targets belonging to the Kurdish militant group PKK, which claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The links of one of the dead attackers to the terrorist group PKK have been confirmed, the ministry said, adding that an investigation of the other terrorist continues.
The vehicle used in the attack was found to have been stolen from a Turkish citizen named Mikail Bozlagan, who worked as a veterinary health technician in Develi in the central Kayseri province, said the ministry.
He was murdered by the terrorists and his vehicle was stolen, according to the statement.
Two police officers were slightly injured when one of the two terrorists on Sunday morning blew himself up in front of the Security Directorate General in the capital.
“Two terrorists, who arrived in a light commercial vehicle in front of the gate of the Security Directorate General, carried out a bomb attack. “One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other was neutralized,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya previously said on X.
He added that the two police officers are being treated for injuries, which are not life-threatening.
Ankara prosecutors have launched an investigation into the terrorist attack.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, a Turkish government spokesperson said: “Air operations were carried out against terrorist targets in the Metina, Hakurk, Kandil and Gara regions in the north of Iraq at 9.00pm on 1 October and the Separatist Terrorist Organization (BTO).
“A total of 20 targets, consisting of caves, bunkers, and warehouses used by, and considered to contain, the terrorists responsible, were destroyed.
“Many terrorists were neutralised by using the maximum amount of domestic and national ammunition in the operations carried out.
“The Turkish Armed Forces, coming from the heart of our noble nation, will continue the fight against terrorism with determination and determination for the survival and security of our homeland and nation, as in the past, until there is not a single terrorist left.”
Terrorists trying to destroy peace and security in Turkey will never succeed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
In a speech marking the start of parliament’s new legislative year, Erdogan said Sunday’s terrorist act, in which two criminals were neutralized thanks to timely police intervention, was part of what he called the “last usurps of terrorism.”
Stressing the need for solidarity in the fight against terrorism, Erdogan said: “We have largely solved the separatist terrorism issue, which has made our country pay heavy human and economic costs for 40 years, within our borders.”
He reiterated that Turkey will continue to fight terrorism with determination until the last terrorist at home or abroad is eliminated.
“We will not allow the terrorist group to direct politics or prevent the sacred march of our country,” he added.
Additional report from Agencies
[Photo: A view of damage after an explosion near Turkish Parliament Interior Ministry in Ankara 1 10 23. Photojournalist: Osmancan Gurdogan/ AA]
