‘ TURKEY’S 9/ 11’ DIVIDES NATION
Twin bombings at peace rally expose deep rifts as blame game ramps up
ANKARA, TURKEY Thousands of mourners flooded the streets of Turkey’s capital on Sunday, a day after twin explosions killed at least 95 people and injured hundreds of others in the deadliest terrorist assault ever carried out on Turkish soil.
Themood was tense during the largely peaceful gathering, as demonstrators alternated between grief for lost loved ones and anger toward Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government, which many believe could have donemore to prevent the attacks.
The crowd chanted slogans including “we want justice” and “Erdogan is a thief and amurderer,” as some mourners carried photographs of victims. Riot police and water- cannon vehicles surrounded the rally but remained in the distance.
On Sunday, the government, which denies involvement in the blasts, said it has appointed two chief civil inspectors and two chief police inspectors to investigate the bombings, which wounded at
least 246 people, according to the prime minister’s office.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu suggested the attack could have been carried out by the extremist Islamic State, Kurdish militants or radical leftist groups.
Earlier, police used tear gas to stop people bearing carnations in memory of those who lost their lives from entering the site of the blasts. About 70 people were eventually allowed to enter the cordonedoff area outside the main train station, the Associated Press reported. The pro- Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party ( HDP) said in a statement that police attacked its leaders and members as they tried to leave flowers at the scene.
Saturday’s attack, during a peace rally near Ankara’s central train station, sent shockwaves across the country.
The blasts, which came just seconds apart shortly after 10 a. m., happened when hundreds of demonstrators — many of them supporters of the HDP — had gathered to protest escalating violence between Turkish security forces and Kurdish separatist insurgents.
“This is as close as it gets to being Turkey’s 9/ 11,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish research program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “But whereas most countries would unite after a massacre like this, Turkey has become so polarized between supporters and opponents of Mr. Erdogan that almost immediately the reaction has been a blame game.”
After declaring three days of mourning and calling for national unity against terrorism, the prime minister exchanged barbs with HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas over responsibility for the violence.
“They want to give this message: We can kill anyone who stands up against the ( government’s political party) and cover it up,” Demirtas said in televised remarks.