TURKEY: 282 PEOPLE KILLED IN TERROR ATTACKS SINCE JULY 7

Ankara, 29 Dhulhijjah 1436/13 October 2015 (MINA) –   A total of 145 Turkish security forces have been martyred within the last 98 days amid a wave of attacks and an ongoing armed conflict in Turkey since July 7, figures compiled by Anadolu Agency reveal.

Out of the 145 security personnel martyred, 65 were police officers, 78 soldiers and two village guards, who all lost their lives in several terrorist attacks carried out by proscribed organizations, including terrorist organizations PKK and Daesh, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The attacks also claimed the lives of 137 civilians, including six children, and two foreign nationals, an Iranian and a Palestinian.

The civilian death count includes Saturday’s twin bomb attacks outside Ankara’s main train station  which targeted a rally; the deadliest attack in the history of modern Turkey left 97 people dead and injured 246 others, dozens of which remain in critical condition.

Saturday’s blasts have shaken Turkey as the country faces a general election re-run in three weeks, counterterrorism operations in the southeast and an ongoing civil war on its southern border in Syria.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday that they were close to identifying the two suspected suicide bombers in Saturday’s Ankara bombings and the organization behind the blasts; the focus of the investigations was now reportedly centered on Daesh, who were also linked to the Suruc bombing on July 20 that killed 33 people.

Referring to Daesh, the PKK and leftist group the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), Davutoglu said: “For us, these three organizations are seen as a potential focus for the crime and right from the start we gave priority to Daesh, considering the method and general trend.”

The prime minister added: “We ascertained how these two suicide bombers arrived at the square and how they carried the bomb.”

A large amount of evidence was gathered over the past 48 hours, Davutoglu added.

Addressing concerns about the level of security for Saturday’s rally, he said that “necessary steps” would be taken if there was any “weakness and negligence”, but he went on to deny there had been any holes in the security arrangements for the rally. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)