Saturday, October 10, 2015

Explosions Kill at Least 95 in Ankara,Turkey; Deadliest Terrorist Attack in Turkey's History

Two devastating explosions struck today (October 10, 2015) in the heart of Ankara -- the capital of Turkey -- killing at least 95 people who had gathered for a peace rally, and heightening tensions just three weeks before snap parliamentary elections, the NY Times website reports.

The blasts -- which officials called the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Turkey's history -- occurred near Ankara's main train station just as Kurds and leftists planned to march to protest the recent resumption of armed conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants. It is a conflict that has been waged for nearly three decades, but in recent times the two sides had seemed to be on the path to peace.

The prime minister's office said late today that 246 people were wounded in addition to at least 95 people who had been killed.

Turkey is now facing a number of destabilizing forces: violence related to conflicts with Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State group; political instability; economic uncertainty; and a growing flow of refugees from the civil war in Syria.

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