President Erdogan convenes security meeting following Ankara attack

Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened a high-level security meeting here regarding the terror attack targeting aerospace and defence firm TUSAS.

The security meeting was held at Ataturk Airport upon Erdogan’s return from the 16th BRICS Summit held in Kazan, Russia, and was participated by the Turkish foreign, interior and defence ministers, the head of the intelligence agency, the chief of general staff, and other senior officials, the report said.

“The meeting emphasised that efforts to combat terrorism and ensure a terror-free Turkey will continue resolutely, and that the establishment of a ‘terrorist state’ across the borders will never be allowed,” the report said.

On Wednesday, at least five people were killed and 22 others wounded in an attack on the production facility of TUSAS in Ankara, according to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Two attackers, identified as members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), were also killed during the assault, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the state-run TRT broadcaster.

Following the attack, Turkey has heightened security measures, particularly at airports, with the Turkish military, in retaliation, striking 29 PKK targets in Iraq and 18 in Syria.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.