Erdogan: Ankara attack linked to Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ordering a special state investigation for the bombings that happened in Ankara last week, which killed 97 people. Two suicide bombers blew up in a leftist and pro-Kurdish activists’ peace rally on Oct. 10.

Erdogan, on Tuesday, announced in a press conference that he ordered the State Supervisory Council to have a special investigation of the attack and to handle it from a different perspective. The investigation will be parallel with that of regular police and judicial investigations.

The president also admitted that there were shortcomings from the part of the government but has insisted that the magnitude of the mistake will only be made clear in the latter part, after necessary investigations and examinations are made. The government believes that the Islamic State is the prime suspect for the country’s deadliest attack.

The Turkish government has long been criticised for not having a tougher policy in dealing with IS militants. However, Turkey is now a member of the U.S.-led coalition against IS and has allowed the Western power to use its Incirlik air base for raids. This has made the country more vulnerable to IS attacks.

Erdogan allegedly received intelligence pointing the IS militants to be responsible for the attack in Ankara. He added that “various attacks” are “prepared” to enter the country.

As a pre-emptive action, dozens of people suspected of having links to IS were arrested days after the Ankara attack. The arrests were made in cities covered from the Mediterranean resorts of Antalya to Adana.

The government said justice will be given, but the president requested patience from his people as DNA tests are carried out on the remains of the two suicide bombers.

A similar incident on July 20 happened when suicide bombers attacked a pro-Kurdish and leftist activist peace rally in the Syrian border of Suruc. Thirty four people were killed in the attack. The government also blamed IS for the incident, according to SkyNews.

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