At least 28 dead as blast hits military buses in Ankara

PanARMENIAN.Net - A large explosion in the Turkish capital, Ankara, has left at least 28 people dead and 61 injured, Turkish officials have said, according to BBC News.

A vehicle full of explosives was detonated as military buses were passing by, Ankara governor's office said.

The blast happened in an area close to parliament and Turkey's military headquarters. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag called it an "act of terrorism".

Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from the area and witnesses said the blast was heard all over the city. Some of the victims were civilians.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but a senior security source told Reuters that initial signs indicated that Kurdish militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were responsible. Separate security sources in the southeast, however, said they believed Islamic State militants may have been behind it.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had been due to attend meetings in Brussels on the migration crisis on Thursday, canceled the trip, an official in his office said. Erdogan postponed a planned visit to Azerbaijan.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attack. "NATO allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism," he said in a statement.