Turkish Prime Minister: Ankara Bombing Was the Work of PKK and Syrian Kurdish Rebels

The Prime Minister of Turkey states that the bombing in Ankara on Wednesday was carried out by PKK rebels and Syrian Kurdish militants. Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed on Thursday, February 18, reports from Turkish media that the bomber in Ankara was a Syrian national. According to the Associated Press, he stated: "This attack was carried out by PKK in collaboration with an individual who was a member of the YPG (People's Protection Units) and had infiltrated Turkey from Syria." The Turkish Prime Minister added that the country's security forces have arrested 9 individuals in connection with this attack. He also blamed Bashar al-Assad's government for supporting Syrian Kurdish militants in this bombing. Davutoglu, in a clear reference to the United States, called on Turkey's allies to cease their support for Syrian Kurdish groups. The Prime Minister emphasized that shelling of Syrian Kurdish militant positions along the border will continue. Turkish officials had previously reported that the bombing was likely carried out by a Syrian national who had entered Turkey with refugees and was affiliated with Syrian Kurdish rebels. The police identified the bomber as "Saleh Najjar" and stated that his identity was confirmed through fingerprints taken from Syrian refugees earlier. Turkish media reported that he was born in 1992 in the Hasakah region. Reports indicate that Saleh Najjar was killed in the explosion, but the media did not specify whether he was a suicide bomber. The attack on Wednesday, which occurred during busy hours in the capital and near military buses, left at least 28 dead and 61 injured. This was the second bombing incident in Ankara in the past four months. In October, a bomb explosion during a peaceful rally near Ankara's train station resulted in 102 deaths, making it one of the deadliest bombings in the country in recent years. The pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak reported that Najjar was a member of the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD), which Turkey considers a terrorist group linked to the PKK. Over the past five days, Turkey has regularly shelled PYD positions in Syrian territory. The Turkish army also announced that hours after the Ankara explosion, its fighter jets bombed Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq.