5 dead, 22 injured in terrorist attack at Turkish aerospace company: Minister

Ankara, Oct 24 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Five people were killed and 22 others injured in a terrorist attack at the production facility of Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAS) in Ankara, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Three of the injured were in critical condition, the Minister told reporters on Wednesday at the site of the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

Yerlikaya noted that two terrorists, a man and a woman, had been “neutralised” by security forces immediately after the attack targeting the key defence complex in the outskirts of Ankara.

Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralise” in their statements to imply the alleged terrorists have either surrendered, been killed, or been captured.

“We’re working to identify the terrorists,” he said, adding the information about the terrorists would be revealed once they are identified.

“I condemn this heinous attack. Our fight will continue with determination until the last terrorist is neutralised,” the Minister said.

According to footage published by the NTV, “several terrorists” came to the central gate of the complex on board a taxi and began shooting at the guards with machine guns.

Television images showed a damaged gate and a nearby clash in a parking lot.

The report said that security forces, firefighters, and paramedics were dispatched to the complex located in the Kahramankazan district of the capital, and the wounded have been transported to two different hospitals.

TUSAS is an important defence and aviation company in Turkey. It produces KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other defence projects.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for similar actions in the past.

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