ISTANBUL // A defiant president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday vowed to fight terror “to the end” as Turkey mourned 38 people killed in twin bombings claimed by Kurdish militants.
The bloodshed, which took place in Istanbul on Saturday, saw a car bomb exploding outside the home stadium of football giants Besiktas. Less than a minute later, a suicide attacker blew himself up by a group of police at a nearby park.
Most of the dead were police officers, who accounted for 30 of the overall toll.
The carnage prompted a sharp response from Mr Erdogan, who defiantly vowed Ankara would “fight the scourge of terrorism right to the end”.
“They should know that they will not get away with it ... They will pay a heavier price.”
The attacks were claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), which is regarded as a radical offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK has waged a bloody campaign against the Turkish state since 1984.
In a ceremony for five of the victims at the city’s police headquarters, officers carried in the coffins draped with flags as Mr Erdogan and prime minister Binali Yildirim looked on before speaking with the bereaved families.
“Sooner or later we will have our revenge,” interior minister Suleman Soylu told the mourners. “The arm of the law is long”.
People also gathered outside the stadium to lay flowers, many holding Turkish flags and shouting “Down with the PKK!” and “Our homeland is indivisible!”
Thousands later joined a protest march around the stadium, with some ruling party fans kicking the buses of opposition CHP supporters, prompting police to disperse the crowds.
Mr Soylu said 30 police, seven civilians and one person yet to be identified had died in the blasts which also wounded another 155 people.
Thirteen people have been detained over the blasts.
Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the attack had targeted police.
“Experts say at least 300-400 kilogrammes of explosives had been used. There was a pit where the car detonated,” he said on CNN Turk television.
Forensic experts were on Sunday collecting evidence at both the stadium and the park, while municipal workers could be seen clearing up the area and replacing road signs damaged in the stadium blast.
Footage broadcast shortly after the attack showed the wrecked car outside the stadium engulfed in flames with emergency services swarming around the scene.
Witnesses said the force of the blast shattered the windows of nearby homes.
“I heard two explosions in less than one minute, followed by the sound of gunshots,” one witness said.
Besiktas is one of Istanbul’s most popular football clubs, and its fans are known for their anti-establishment views. They famously played a big role in the 2013 protests against Mr Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time.
Earlier, Mr Erdogan said that the name of the group behind the attack did not matter.
“Nobody should doubt that we will defeat terror, terror groups, terrorists and of course the forces behind them, with God’s help,” he said.
Besiktas vowed to “stand firm against the vile attackers who will never achieve their goal”.
The stadium is near the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce palace that houses the premier’s office and about a kilometre from the busy Taksim Square, a magnet for tourists.
The UAE condemned the attacks and extended condolences to the Turkish government and the families of the victims.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the “horrific acts of terror” in Istanbul, adding: “We stand united in solidarity with our ally Turkey. We remain determined to fight terrorism in all its forms.”
The US embassy in Turkey wrote on Twitter: “Our hearts and prayers are with the people of #Istanbul tonight.”
In June, 47 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, with authorities blaming ISIL.
Another 57 people including 34 children were killed in August in a suicide attack by an ISIL-linked bomber at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.
* Agence France-Presse
