Politics
10 years on, Türkiye remembers victims of PKK bombing in Ankara
Türkiye on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of a car bombing in central Ankara, one of the deadliest attacks carried out by the PKK terror group during a wave of urban violence in 2015-2016.
The March 13, 2016, attack targeted bus stops in the capital’s busy Kızılay district, where a car packed with explosives was detonated at Güvenpark, killing 36 people and injuring 344 others.
Among those killed were four children. Thirty-two children were also among the wounded.
Authorities said the vehicle was detonated by PKK members Seher Çağla Demir and Özgür Ünsal. The attackers were killed in the explosion.
One of the victims was an unborn baby carried by six-month pregnant Songül Yılmaz, who was injured in the blast. The baby was later described as the youngest victim of the attack.
The bombing came after the PKK launched a violent campaign in several southeastern districts, including Şırnak, Silopi, Cizre, Nusaybin, Derik, Idil, Sur and Yüksekova, where militants dug trenches, erected barricades and declared so-called “autonomous zones.”
Security forces responded with operations to restore control in those areas. After failing to sustain the campaign, the group carried out the Güvenpark bombing targeting civilians waiting at bus stops in the capital.
Perpetrators brought to justice
Following the attack, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation that led to an indictment against 55 suspects, including senior PKK figures. The trial began on June 19, 2017, and concluded on Nov. 21, 2018, at an Ankara court.
Mehmet Veysi Dolaşan received 37 aggravated life sentences for the killing of 36 victims and for attempting to undermine the unity and territorial integrity of the state. He was also sentenced to an additional 10,260 years in prison for the attempted murder of the 344 people injured in the blast, along with further prison time and a fine for explosives-related offenses.
Two other defendants, Sebahattin Karakoç and Azamattin Karakoç, were also given aggravated life sentences.
In a separate trial concluded in November 2020, Ferit Ak and Salih Şahin were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for knowingly aiding the terrorist group.
The Güvenpark bombing remains one of the most devastating attacks in Ankara’s recent history and a stark reminder of the PKK’s campaign of violence targeting civilians in Türkiye.
Major PKK attacks
The PKK terrorist group has carried out numerous deadly attacks in Türkiye over the past decades, targeting both security forces and civilians as part of its terror campaign that began in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed since then.
Türkiye first sought a political solution to the PKK issue in the early 1990s under then-President Turgut Özal, who promoted a civilian approach and explored greater rights for the country’s Kurdish community. His outreach contributed to a brief PKK cease-fire, but the effort faltered after renewed attacks and Özal’s death in 1993.
The violence continued until PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s capture in 1999. A second peace initiative began in 2012, known as the reconciliation process, during which the government expanded cultural and language rights. The process collapsed in 2015, after which the PKK resumed attacks, prompting intensified Turkish counterterrorism operations at home and across the border.
The following year saw back-to-back PKK attacks across Türkiye, many involving explosives targeting security forces and civilians.
In January 2016, militants attacked a district police headquarters in the Çınar district of Diyarbakır with a truck bomb, rockets and gunfire, killing at least six people, including civilians and children, and wounding dozens.
Two months later, in March 2016, a car bomb targeting an armored police vehicle near a bus terminal in Diyarbakır killed seven police officers and injured 27 people, including civilians.
In May that year, a bomb-laden truck detonated in the Durumlu area of Diyarbakır after civilians intercepted the vehicle suspected of carrying explosives. The blast killed 16 people and wounded more than 20.
The attacks continued through the summer. In August 2016, a suicide car bomb struck a police checkpoint outside district headquarters in Cizre, in the southeastern province of Şırnak, killing 12 police officers and injuring dozens.
Later the same month, a car bomb targeting a police station in Elazığ killed at least six people and wounded more than 200 others.
In October 2016, another large car bomb targeted a military facility in the district of Şemdinli in Hakkari province, killing soldiers and civilians and injuring dozens more.
PKK disarmament
Today, Türkiye is working to bring a permanent end to PKK terrorism with its “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, first conceived in October 2024 by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, who extended an olive branch to Öcalan should he urge his terror group to lay down arms.
After Öcalan appealed to his group last year, the PKK formally disbanded, withdrawing all members from Turkish soil and even holding a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq where a group of PKK members burned their weapons.
In Ankara, a cross-party parliamentary commission last month published a key report meant to prepare the legal groundwork to advance the process, backing plans to reintegrate former PKK members. Ankara has repeatedly ruled out amnesty for Öcalan or PKK terrorists, with officials saying the legal framework would only consider integration for PKK members who have not engaged in terrorist activities.
The report is expected to be put before Parliament sometime this month, likely after the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. If it passes, it will be the first concrete step taken by Türkiye.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said Türkiye’s every step on security also contributes to Europe’s security, as he attended a trilateral meeting with Bulgarian and Greek officials in Athens on Wednesday.
“Trilateral Mechanism Meeting” was hosted by Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris and attended by Bulgarian Interior Minister Emil Dechev. It focused on cooperation between the neighboring countries in the fight against terrorism, organized crime and irregular migration.
Speaking after the meeting, Çiftçi said Turkish authorities’ efforts to combat crime within the framework of international law and humanitarian values had produced results. He noted that Türkiye’s deterrence capacity in combating irregular migration had largely ended its status as a transit and destination country for migrants. He attributed this outcome in part to the strategic contribution of the trilateral mechanism. Çiftçi underlined that migrant smuggling is also a key source of revenue for terrorist groups and criminal gangs, and said the fight against irregular migration should run in parallel with efforts against terrorism and organized crime, within a complementary strategy.
For his part, Minister Plevris said Greece’s strict policy against illegal migration aimed to curb flows along its land and sea borders. He praised trilateral cooperation and said Greece had achieved a substantial reduction in the number of irregular migrants. He underlined that countries should further intensify the fight against smuggling networks and traffickers on sea routes.
Bulgaria’s Dechev highlighted the strategic nature of the trilateral ministerial format, calling it a well-established and valuable platform for effective and results-oriented cooperation. He said Bulgaria firmly believed in the added value of the trilateral dialogue and remained a committed supporter of its continuity and sustainability.
He emphasized that Bulgaria, Greece and Türkiye should remain ambitious and continue building on progress achieved so far, particularly in border security, combating irregular migration and migrant smuggling networks, which remain central to joint efforts in an increasingly complex regional and international security environment.
Türkiye will unveil a 10-year vision document on family and population policies at a program in Istanbul on May 2, the Family and Social Services Ministry announced Thursday.
The “Family and Population Decade Vision Document,” prepared under the coordination of the ministry with contributions from relevant public institutions and organizations, is designed to set Türkiye’s policy framework for the next decade.
The ministry noted the document offers a comprehensive, people-oriented and family-centered road map addressing changes in the country’s family and population structure from multiple perspectives.
The vision document is expected to be presented at a launch program attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş.
The document will enter into force through a presidential circular to be published in the Official Gazette the same day, becoming a binding policy framework for all public institutions and organizations, the ministry said.
The program will also include an award ceremony for people and institutions that contributed to the “2025 Year of the Family,” as well as winners of short film and photography competitions.
A public service announcement titled “The Rhythm of Türkiye: Our Story Will Not Remain Unfinished” will also premiere during the event.
The ministry said the video will highlight the importance of population dynamism, the central role of family in life and the value of intergenerational bonds.
Türkiye’s Parliament on Thursday called on Israel to immediately release detained activists, including Turkish nationals, condemning the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla as piracy and a war crime.
The parliament also unanimously adopted a speaker’s motion condemning Israel’s armed intervention against the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The motion, signed by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, was read out in the General Assembly before being put to a vote.
The text stated that Israel had once again “blatantly violated international law,” adding another offense to ongoing acts of genocide and war crimes.
Recalling that the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian and peaceful initiative, was attacked in international waters, the motion said Israeli forces had obstructed humanitarian aid and detained 211 pro-Palestinian activists, including 20 Turkish citizens.
“This act of piracy is a clear war crime. We warn Israel, which has exceeded all limits of humanity’s tolerance, and call for the immediate release of the forcibly detained activists and our citizens,” the motion said.
It added that the Turkish Parliament, together with all political parties and lawmakers, stands in solidarity with unlawfully detained citizens and all members of the humanitarian initiative seeking to deliver aid to the people of Gaza.
The motion also pledged that Türkiye would lead and persistently pursue accountability before international courts for all crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces against members of the flotilla, particularly Turkish nationals.
It reiterated a call to all parliaments, international parliamentary assemblies, and organizations to take a united stance and raise their voices to end Israel’s occupation, genocide, and apartheid against the Palestinian people, ensure uninterrupted humanitarian access to Gaza, and hold Israel accountable for crimes against humanity.
Following the reading of the motion, deputy group chairs of political parties represented in parliament voiced their support. The motion was subsequently adopted unanimously in the General Assembly.
The Israeli navy intercepted vessels from the flotilla late Wednesday as they headed toward Gaza to break a longstanding blockade on the enclave, detaining over 200 activists.
The group said Israeli forces surrounded the convoy in international waters near the Greek island of Crete, jammed communications, and seized 21 vessels, adding that 17 vessels managed to escape and enter Greek waters following the incident.
The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, aims to break Israel’s blockade and open a humanitarian corridor by sea.
The move came hours after Hebrew media reported that Israel was preparing to intercept the flotilla, which includes around 100 boats in total carrying nearly 1,000 activists from several countries.
Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.
Pervin Hayrullah, a prominent activist from Greece’s Western Thrace Turkish community, explained to the Sabah newspaper how the community suffers in the hands of the state of Greece amid a far-reaching assimilation policy.
Greece’s Western Thrace region is home to around 150,000 Muslim Turks. The community often complains about double standards, although they have played a historic part in Greek society.
Hayrullah told the Sabah newspaper on Wednesday that the community does not have a separatist ambition and merely aimed to safeguard its religion, language and identity. She said Türkiye always stood with them.
She noted that their identity was partially recognized until the 1990s, when they were allowed to use “Turkish” in certain fields, but starting in 1991, the governments pursued so-called reforms towards the minority.
“They classified the identity of the minority, assigning it multiple ethnic identities as Turks, Pomaks and (Roma). They took it further and started identifying the Muslim minority as ‘Alevis and Sunnis.’ We are, whereas, a Turkish minority, a united community,” she said.
Hayrullah pointed out that minority schools also faced closure. “Records show there were 306 schools of the minority in 1923. In the eight decades following this year, some 100 schools were closed. In the past 15 years alone, 104 schools were shut down. This goes against the Lausanne Treaty, which prevents the state from shutting down schools even if they do not have students,” she told the Sabah newspaper.
Another challenge for the minority is the election of muftis or Muslim clerics. Hayrullah noted that a 1913 treaty granted them the right to elect their own mufti, and in 1990s, the state started appointing its own muftis. She added that their rights to elect muftis were repeatedly violated while the state filed lawsuits against their muftis, claiming they “hijacked” their posts.
She noted that a 2007 law also dealt another blow to the minority’s religious rights as it stipulated the assignment of imams to the minority’s mosques. “They also do not allow renovation work at the mosques, and they even intervene in the size of minarets. In some cases, they order the removal of crescents and stars on minarets,” she lamented.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Vienna on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said they were mobilizing all resources to resume negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to end the war. He said the main goal now was to fully open the Strait of Hormuz and prevent a return to an all-out conflict. He pledged commitment to talks mediated by Pakistan. “There are still some detailed issues that should be resolved, but I have confidence in the skills of our brothers in Pakistan (in mediation),” he said.
He said not all issues can be resolved within an expected timetable of two weeks, and an extended time frame might be needed. “But I see that the sides have will to that extent. As a matter of fact, pressure from the international community necessitates this will. I believe the next few days will be critical for advances (in the process),” he said.
The first round of talks between the U.S. and Iran was held in Islamabad two weeks ago but failed to produce an agreement to end the conflict that began on Feb. 28 and spread across the Middle East. The talks followed a two-week cease-fire brokered by Pakistan on April 8, which was later extended by Trump.
Türkiye could consider taking part in multinational demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz after a possible peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, Fidan said late Friday. Speaking to reporters in London, Fidan said Türkiye “would be open to” participating in a coalition tasked with clearing naval mines in the strait once a deal is reached, describing such work as a “humanitarian” effort. However, Fidan underscored that Ankara would not take part in operations that risk positioning Türkiye as a party to renewed conflict. Ankara would avoid any role implying alignment if conflict resumes, Fidan said.
At the press conference in Vienna, Fidan also touched upon relations with the European Union. “They should always remain good,” he said while lamenting that Europe had no political will to that extent. Türkiye improved ties with the European Union in the past two decades, harboring hopes of full membership in the bloc. Yet, the bloc dragged its feet for admission. Recently, remarks of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signalled that room for improvement in ties may still be distant for Ankara. Von der Leyen had warned against “Turkish influence” on the continent.
Türkiye denounced Thursday the Israeli attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters and the arrest of at least 20 Turkish nationals.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, since the flotilla originated there.
Fidan underlined that Israel’s illegal intervention in the flotilla off the coast of Greece’s Crete, in international waters, risked the lives of civilians of various nationalities and violated international law, Foreign Ministry sources said.
The minister also called for a joint stand by the international community against “illegal intervention.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry was quick to condemn Israeli action, calling the illegal intervention “an act of piracy,” saying it is taking “all necessary steps” regarding its citizens and other passengers on board.
“By attacking the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe faced by the oppressed people of Gaza, Israel has targeted humanitarian values and international law,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Israel’s actions also violated the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters, adding: “We call on the international community to take a united stance against this lawless act by Israel.”
“All necessary steps are being taken in coordination with relevant countries regarding the situation of our citizens and other passengers on board the fleet,” it added.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş strongly condemned the interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla, describing it as an unacceptable act of “piracy” in international waters.
“This barbaric act by Zionist Israeli terrorist forces targeting law, humanity and conscience cannot be justified under any circumstances. This attack also constitutes a clear war crime against humanity,” Kurtulmuş said X social media.
He said those “standing for human dignity” must raise their voices against such actions and openly support the people of Gaza, urging the international community not to “fail this test.”
Türkiye’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said the Israeli intervention in international waters constituted “a clear violation of law and an unacceptable attack.”
Crime against humanity Duran said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal that targeting a civilian-led humanitarian initiative represented a threat not only to aid efforts but also to “the shared values of humanity.”
“Israel has demonstrated through this intervention that it is engaging in piracy in international waters,” he said, calling on the international community not to remain silent and to take a firm stance in defense of law, justice, and freedom of navigation.
Separately, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Omer Çelik said on NSosyal that efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza represent “a noble act on behalf of humanity.”
Describing the Israeli intervention as “barbarity” targeting a global “alliance of humanity,” Çelik condemned the action and said it amounted to “another crime against humanity.”
He urged the international community to deliver a united response, adding that the condition of Turkish nationals and other passengers on board is being closely followed.
Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.
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