Turkish Security Officials: One Suspect in Ankara Bombing was PKK Member

Turkish security officials say that one of the two suspects in the bombing on Sunday in Ankara is a woman who is a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), having joined the group last year. According to the Associated Press, Turkish security officials claim to have evidence indicating that the PKK is responsible for the explosion, and one of the suicide bombers is a woman born in 1992 from the city of Kars in eastern Turkey. A large explosion occurred on the evening of Sunday, March 14, in a crowded neighborhood in Ankara, near the Turkish Ministry of Justice, leaving 37 dead and many injured. The Turkish government has stated that it intends to officially identify and announce the organization responsible for the explosion on Monday evening. Reports indicate that following the Sunday explosion, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to 'bring terrorism to its knees' and stated that Turkey reserves the 'right to self-defense' and will exercise this right. Meanwhile, on Sunday and Monday, Turkish police raided the homes of individuals associated with the PKK in the city of Adana, arresting at least 36 people, and 15 Kurdish suspects were also detained in Istanbul. The PKK, which Turkish security officials named in connection with the Sunday explosion, has previously targeted Turkish security forces directly and claims not to target civilians. Last month, on February 17, another bomb exploded near the site of the Sunday Ankara bombing, for which a group called 'Eagles of Freedom of Kurdistan' (TAK) claimed responsibility. The TAK group is a splinter group from the PKK, but according to the Associated Press, experts say that the two organizations remain connected. Following the Sunday explosion, Turkish warplanes bombed several PKK positions in northern Iraq early Monday morning. The explosion in the heart of Ankara occurred just one day after the Turkish military announced that its airstrikes on PKK positions in northern Iraq last week had resulted in 67 deaths. On Sunday, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a pro-Kurdish group with dozens of representatives in the Turkish parliament, condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with the people of Turkey.