Blinken 'strongly' condemns Ankara terror attack

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “strongly” condemned a fatal terror attack Wednesday against the Ankara headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) that killed at least five people and injured 22.

"The United States stands with our Ally Türkiye and strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack. My thoughts are with the victims and their families," Blinken wrote on X.

An explosion and gunshots were heard at TAI's facilities in Ankara's Kahramankazan district.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said it is "highly likely" that the PKK terror group is responsible, adding that Türkiye will share the identifications and other evidence as they become clear.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the “heinous attack" that targeted the country’s “survival, peace and defense initiatives.”

“The terrorist attack against TAI, one of the locomotive organizations of the Turkish defense industry, is a despicable attack targeting the survival of our country, the peace of our nation, and our defense initiatives that are the symbol of our ideal of ‘Fully Independent Türkiye’,” Erdogan wrote on X. “From the first moment of the terrorist attack, our security forces quickly intervened and neutralized the terrorists.”

Security forces, firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to the area, while TAI's personnel were directed to shelters for security reasons.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation.