ATAA Condemnation

ATAA Condemnation without pointing fingers to or insinuating government involvement in the bombing attack is to the point. BBC also headlined "Peace Rally Bombed". Not true. The attack was perpetrated at a site where preparations were made. organizers use these locations to agitate the crowds. The crowds were also generally hostile to security forces (searching backpacks, pat downs and screening out of town busses etc.) in these gathering locations previously and a disruptive propagandistic march to the rally site which has search facility|security barrier provides an opportunity for this type of attacks. MAM

Mavi Boncuk |
Community Information Service October 10, 2015 / No:841

ATAA Strongly Condemns Deadly Bomb Attack in Ankara, Turkey 
          
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) strongly condemns bomb attack which killed 86 and injured 186 during a rally for peace in Turkish capital of Ankara today.

Recently, Turkey has been under attacks carried out by Marxist-Leninist Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and DAES terrorist groups. Since July of 2015, PKK attacks have claimed the lives of 143 Turkish security forces officers and 40 civilians.

The PKK has caused the deaths of over 35,000 people, including Americans since 1984. The PKK has caused billions of dollars of property damage worldwide. The PKK claims to represent Kurds, but includes a sliver of roughly 5000 radicals and militants who obtain revenue by narcotics and cigarette smuggling in the EU.

The attacks took place today are aimed to destabilize Turkey, which is a peace and democracy island in the region, and affect the upcoming Turkish election. 

NATO ally Turkey has suffered from international terrorism, namely by Armenian terrorist groups, ASALA and JCAG/ARF, and PKK since the 1960's, as well as by Al-Qaeda.

Turkey is the world's largest refugee-hosting nation, including more than 1.7 million Syrian and 200,000 Iraqi Kurdish refugees, as well as 200,000 Azeris from Armenian-occupied western Azerbaijan, 100,000 Armenians from Armenia looking for better life in Turkey, 75,000 Bosnians, 50,000 Bulgarians, 20,000 Albanians and Kosovars, and thousands of others.

As the preeminent organization representing the Turkish American community, ATAA calls for unity and solidarity against the terrorism, and urges Turkish political parties to stop bickering and fighting against terrorism together.

We mourn the loss of our people, who have perished as a result of this heinous act of terror, and offer our heartfelt condolences to their families and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured.