ISLAMABAD: Monitoring Desk – Pakistani leadership including President, Prime Minister and Interior Minister have condemned the terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters near Ankara, on Wednesday, with 5 dead and 22 more injured. Attackers set off explosives and opened fire according to authorities.
TUSAS is a developer and producer of aerospace systems, such as combat aircraft and drones. The company website says that it is a licensed manufacturer for the US-designed F-16 fighter jets.
A blast and gunfire were heard at the premises of the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries. The Turkish interior minister called it a “terrorist attack,” adding that it caused deaths and injuries.
“I condemn this heinous terror attack,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two assailants were killed in what he described as a “terrorist attack.”
“The identification process and the search for fingerprints are continuing and we will say which terrorist organization was behind the attack… The way in which this action was carried out is very probably linked to the PKK,” he said.
Turkish minister made the remarks in a hurry most probably because TUSAS target actually benefited other parties as well more than PKK. Armenia had to face a defeat in war with Azerbaijan and Turkish drones played key role in deciding the war in favor of Azerbaijan.
Footage from the scene bshowed large clouds of black smoke and a large fire raging at the site in Kahramankazan, a small town some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the capital Ankara.Turkish private NTV television said a group of assailants, carrying assault weapons, arrived at an entry to the complex inside a taxi.They detonated an explosive device next to the taxi before entering the complex.
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“Two terrorists were neutralized in the terror attack on the TUSAS Ankara Kahramankazan site,” Yerlikaya said.
Yerlikaya later said the attack was likely carried out by members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
Defense Minister Yasar Guler also blamed the PKK. “We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses,” Guler said. “We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”
The PKK is a militant Kurdish organization, designated as a terrorist group by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union. It has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish government.
Several officials worldwide condemned the attack later on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to Erdogan while the pair met at the BRICS summit.
“We are very pleased to welcome you to Kazan, but before we begin our work I would like to express my condolences in connection with the terror attack,” Putin said.
Germany also condemned what it said was a “horrific terrorist attack.” A foreign ministry spokeswoman described it as “deeply shocking.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte offered member-state Turkey the alliance’s backing. In a call with Erdogan, Rutte stressed that “NATO stands with Turkey.”
Pakistan in the World – October 2024
