Terrorists Won't Achieve Aim In Turkey, Says Erdogan

The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has delivered a resolute message on Sunday in the wake of a powerful explosion near the parliament in Ankara, emphasizing that "terrorists" would never achieve their aims. The incident left two police officers injured and sent shockwaves through the city. The explosion, which occurred outside the interior ministry and was followed by towering flames, was audible several kilometers away, underscoring the severity of the attack. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organization designated as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, claimed responsibility for the blast. The targeted district houses various ministries and the Turkish parliament, which, despite the attack, reopened as planned in the afternoon. Erdogan addressed the parliament, asserting, "The villains who threaten the peace and security of citizens have not achieved their objectives and will never achieve them." The interior ministry provided details of the attack, stating that two attackers arrived in a commercial vehicle around 9:30 am, conducting a bomb attack. One assailant detonated explosives, while the other was fatally shot before doing so. Two police officers sustained minor injuries during the exchange of fire. The PKK, in a statement to the ANF news agency closely aligned with the Kurdish movement, referred to the attack as "a sacrificial action against the Turkish Interior Ministry." In response to the incident, the Ankara police headquarters conducted "controlled explosions" of "suspicious packages" to mitigate further threats, as the Ankara prosecutor's office launched an investigation and restricted access to the affected area. Local media was also instructed not to broadcast images from the scene. Erdogan took the opportunity to criticize the European Union, expressing his country's frustration with a prolonged accession process, saying that Turkey "no longer expects anything from the European Union, which has kept us waiting at its door for 40 years." Foreign leaders, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States embassy in Ankara, voiced support for Turkey in the aftermath of the attack. The Turkish capital has witnessed several attacks in recent years, with the PKK and the Islamic State group often claiming responsibility, underscoring the ongoing security challenges faced by the nation.