One of the suicide car bombers who killed at least 37 people in Ankara yesterday is thought to have been a female militant from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a senior Turkish government official has claimed.
The attack took place in Guven Park in the Kizilay district, a transport hub that is home to many administrative buildings, including the justice and interior ministries. Several vehicles were reduced to burnt-out wrecks, including a bus, and 125 people were being treated in hospitals for injuries.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A senior government official also told news agencies that two terrorists were believed to be responsible, one of them a female PKK member. She is said to have been born in 1992 and came from Kars, eastern Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the attacks and sought to reassure Turks. "Our people should not worry," he said. "The struggle against terrorism will for certain end in success and terrorism will be brought to its knees."
He suggested that militants were targeting civilians because they were losing their struggle against the Turkish army.
Terror attacks "do not diminish our will to fight against terror, but further boost it", he said.
The attack is the third in the city in less than six months. Three weeks ago, a deadly blast targeting military personnel claimed the lives of 29 people.
Turkey is now facing multiple security threats, says the BBC's Mark Lowen. "The country that was the stable corner of the Middle East and the West's crucial ally in a volatile region is now at a dangerous moment."
-
September 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
