18 killed, 45 wounded after huge explosion in capital of Turkey

JimmySnails

Breaking on Sky News. Looks like a car bomb went off in a busy area.

Hopefully the death toll doesn't keep rising.

dreamers75

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35599323

BBC link.

B.A._Baracus

The world really is a violent place...
Sure, things like this don't happen everywhere but they shouldn't happen anywhere.

JimmySnails

28 killed, 61 wounded in Ankara bombing - deputy PM.

Custardpi

Awful stuff. Can't imagine how terrifying it would be to get caught up in something like that. Wonder who's responsible. Given the current situation in Turkey & the wider region there are a number of suspects.

drunkmonkey

Considering the antics of turkey and the support for ISIS and rebels it does seem like a legitimate target to a whole host of suspects.

"The attack targeted a shuttle bus carrying military personnel, and there were several other military vehicles nearby - all of which were waiting at the traffic lights. Most of the casualties are believed to be soldiers."

Gatling

Will be very interesting if we see a sudden mobilisation of Turkish forces and an incursion into Syria

Mint Aero

Oh my God.

Custardpi

Gatling wrote: »

Will be very interesting if we see a sudden mobilisation of Turkish forces and an incursion into Syria

I can't see that ending well for anyone involved (directly or indirectly).

RobertKK

Blaming the Kurds for the bombing, which is convenient.

strelok

this really fell into erdogans lap didn't it

Kristopherus

strelok wrote: »

this really fell into erdogans lap didn't it

He's turning into a dangerous despot:mad:

Gatling

Kristopherus wrote: »

He's turning into a dangerous despot:mad:

He's in good company with assad and Putin

nacho libre

strelok wrote: »

this really fell into erdogans lap didn't it

yes, he now has his justification to go over the border and set up his 10 km safe zone between Syria and Turkey.

Gatling

nacho libre wrote: »

yes, he now has his justification to go over the border and set up his 10 km safe zone between Syria and Turkey.

Sounds familiar tactic to several military interventions from russia in the past and recently

Custardpi

Gatling wrote: »

Sounds familiar tactic to several military interventions from russia in the past and recently

As much as I dislike Erdogan & his disastrous policies I think you might be entering into "jet fuel & steel beams" territory. There are very few groups with clean hands when it comes to violence in Turkey. While it's possible that it's an inside job I think it's hasty to immediately jump to that conclusion.

Gatling

Custardpi wrote: »

As much as I dislike Erdogan & his disastrous policies I think you might be entering into "jet fuel & steel beams" territory. There are very few groups with clean hands when it comes to violence in Turkey. While it's possible that it's an inside job I think it's hasty to immediately jump to that conclusion.

The fact speak for themselves rumored build up of Turkish and Saudi forces planning to enter syria for the last week ,
Suddenly we then get an attack on turkish forces.

I don't do the whole conspiracy theories lark ,

FalconGirl

Gatling wrote: »

The fact speak for themselves rumored build up of Turkish and Saudi forces planning to enter syria for the last week ,
Suddenly we then get an attack on turkish forces.

I don't do the whole conspiracy theories lark ,

Facts and rumoured doesn't mix well in the same sentence.

Custardpi

Considering that the Turks have been attacking Kurdish positions in Syria with heavy shelling of late it would not altogether surprise me if this was a PKK retaliation attack. Not the smartest move if so as it plays directly into Erdogan's hands.

old_aussie

nacho libre wrote: »

yes, he now has his justification to go over the border and set up his 10 km safe zone between Syria and Turkey.

That will give Russia a reason to bomb turkey

What is the common link involved in all the ME countries, that are being destroyed, there must be a common link.

Duiske

old_aussie wrote: »

That will give Russia a reason to bomb turkey

What is the common link involved in all the ME countries, that are being destroyed, there must be a common link.

Why don't you tell us what you think the link is ? I'm sure we'll all be shocked and surprised by your answer. :rolleyes:

Custardpi

old_aussie wrote: »

That will give Russia a reason to bomb turkey

Which would oblige Turkey's Nato allies to intervene on its behalf :eek:

Overheal

If only Ankara wasn't a bomb-free zone, this could have possibly been prevented by a good guy with a bomb.

sparksfly

old_aussie wrote: »

That will give Russia a reason to bomb turkey

What is the common link involved in all the ME countries, that are being destroyed, there must be a common link.

Russia won't bomb Turkey unless they are bombed first. They will only strike after direct provocation. The Russian airforce has rarely attacked any other nation prior to Syria.

riffmongous

Gatling wrote: »

The fact speak for themselves rumored build up of Turkish and Saudi forces planning to enter syria for the last week ,
Suddenly we then get an attack on turkish forces.

I don't do the whole conspiracy theories lark ,

If it wasn't for the fact that most of the victims appear to be soldiers this time I'd well believe it was an inside job, some of the other supposed Isis bombs in the last months worked out pretty well for erdogan

Gatling

sparksfly wrote: »

Russia won't bomb Turkey unless they are bombed first. They will only strike after direct provocation. The Russian airforce has rarely attacked any other nation prior to Syria.

Afghanistan, chechnia and Georgia comes to mind

JimmySnails

Erdogan has said that Syrian Kurds are responsible.

Nodin

JimmySnails wrote: »

Erdogan has said that Syrian Kurds are responsible.

.which unfortunately means we are no wiser than before, save for the already known fact that targeting soldiers does sound more like the Kurdish groups than IS. Regardless, more Kurds and Turks will suffer as Erdogan pursues his agenda.

questionmark?

Gatling wrote: »

Afghanistan, chechnia and Georgia comes to mind

Afghanistan yes that was an invasion but it wasn't Russia it was the USSR of which Russia was a part, Chechnia is part of Russia so they rightly or wrongly were defending Russian land and if I re-call correctly Georgia got thought a lesson for taken the piss over disputed lands and were far from innocent in starting that war. You should have stuck with saying the Ukraine.

Gatling

questionmark? wrote: »

Afghanistan yes that was an invasion but it wasn't Russia it was the USSR of which Russia was a part, Chechnia is part of Russia so they rightly or wrongly were defending Russian land and if I re-call correctly Georgia got thought a lesson for taken the piss over disputed lands and were far from innocent in starting that war. You should have stuck with saying the Ukraine.

But I'm right,

Russian forces attacked everytime even when things had calmed down in every case

Russian airforce hasn't targeted Ukraine

Maximus Alexander

Overheal wrote: »

If only Ankara wasn't a bomb-free zone, this could have possibly been prevented by a good guy with a bomb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzRxdeW7adM

Skylinehead

Gatling wrote: »

Afghanistan, chechnia and Georgia comes to mind

Chechnya is not a country.

Son Of A Vidic

RobertKK wrote: »

Blaming the Kurds for the bombing, which is convenient.

Who needs an investigation when you've got Erdogan pulling the strings, judge, jury and executioner. Those damn pesky Kurds are giving his Daesh brothers a torrid time in Syria. So the attack is perfect timing alright and a convenient excuse for Erdogan, to try and murder as many Kurd's as possible. Scary to think that this corrupt clown & his corrupt regime is a member of NATO.

Duiske

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Who needs an investigation when you've got Erdogan pulling the strings, judge, jury and executioner. Those damn pesky Kurds are giving his Daesh brothers a torrid time in Syria. So the attack is perfect timing alright and a convenient excuse for Erdogan, to try and murder as many Kurd's as possible. Scary to think that this corrupt clown & his corrupt regime is a member of NATO.

It would be complete stupidity by the Kurdish rebels to have had anything to do with the bombing in Ankara, especially given the good press they are receiving from their sucesses against ISIS. Erdogan on the other hand has everything to gain by blackening the Kurds in the eyes of the west, particularly the US.
His fixation with the town of Azaz, close to the Turkish border, has the potential to send this war totally out of control. He is determined it won't fall into Kurdish rebel hands, and is supplying weapons and logistics to anti-Assad forces in the area despite his claiming otherwise for the past few days. http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0218/769020-syria/

At least 2,000 Syrian rebel fighters have re-entered the country from Turkey over the last week to reinforce insurgents fending off an assault by Syrian Kurdish-led militias, rebel sources said.

The rebels, with weapons and vehicles, have been covertly escorted across the border by Turkish forces over several nights, before heading into the embattled rebel stronghold of Azaz, the sources said.

If it looks like Azaz is about to fall Erdogan will likely send Turkish troops in, and that little town in the desert could go down in history as the place where the Russia-Turkey war started.

riffmongous

Skylinehead wrote: »

Chechnya is not a country.

And I wonder would that have anything to do with the Russians invading it twice? Chechnya was a country but no one recognised it and then it quickly spiraled out of control

Custardpi

Update on this. Responsibility claimed by Tak, which appears to be the Kurdish equivalent of the CIRA. So not something which can be pinned on the Syrian YPG forces as Erdogan has tried to do.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/19/kurdish-rebels-claim-responsibility-for-ankara-car-bomb