Terrorists Armed With Rifles Launch Deadly Attack in Turkey, Many Killed

Photo : AFP

In a tragic incident near Ankara, five people were killed, and 22 others sustained injuries in an attack on the headquarters of a prominent Turkish defense company, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), on Wednesday. The attack involved two assailants, a man and a woman, who have since been "neutralised." Surveillance footage captured the pair as they carried out the assault approximately 40 kilometers north of Ankara.

Various videos circulating on social media depicted the attackers entering the building with bags and firing what appeared to be assault rifles. A significant explosion also rocked the headquarters, further escalating the chaos of the situation.

Reports suggested that the attackers, described as a "group of terrorists," stormed the facility, with one individual reportedly detonating an explosive device. Eyewitness accounts indicated that exchanges of gunfire persisted for over an hour, contributing to the turmoil within the premises.

It has been reported that the attackers killed a taxi driver before commandeering his vehicle to reach their target. Among the victims, Turkey's Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz confirmed that four were employees of TAI, while the fifth was the taxi driver.

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No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya indicated that it was "very likely" orchestrated by Kurdish militants. He stated, "The manner in which this action was executed is highly probable to be linked to the PKK," referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a group that has engaged in a prolonged insurgency against the Turkish state.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in Russia for discussions with President Vladimir Putin at the time of the attack, condemned the incident, labeling it a "heinous" assault on Turkey's defense sector. He emphasized that the attack on TAI, a key player in Turkey's defense industry, was a vile act targeting the nation's survival and peace. Erdogan stated on social media, "This terrorist attack against TAI, one of the locomotive organizations of the Turkish defense industry, is a vile attack targeting the survival of our country, the peace of our nation, and our defense initiatives that symbolize our ideal of a 'Fully Independent Turkey.'"