Turkey In Mourning After Twin Blasts Kill 95

Turkey has started three days of mourning after two bomb blasts at a peace rally in Ankara killed 95 people and wounded 245 others. The twin explosions occurred seconds apart outside the capital's main train station on Saturday morning as hundreds of people calling for an end to violence between Kurdish rebels and Turkish security forces were gathering for the march. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack - the worst in Turkey's history - but Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there were "strong signs" that the blasts were suicide bombings. He suggested that Kurdish rebels or Islamic State militants were to blame. Overnight, thousands of protesters gathered near Istanbul's main square denouncing the attacks and also holding the government responsible.
Some demonstrators chanted "Murderer Erdogan" - referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who many people accuse of increasing tensions with Kurds to profit at the ballot box in November. Mr Erdogan strongly denies the accusations. The Turkish government imposed a temporary news blackout covering images that showed the moment of the blasts, or "images that create a feeling of panic". Many people reported being unable to access Twitter and other social media websites for several hours after the blasts. It was not clear if authorities had blocked access to the websites, but Turkey often does impose blackouts following attacks. Late on Saturday, US President Barack Obama spoke to Mr Erdogan on the phone to express his condolences and said Americans stood in solidarity with Turkish people "in the fight against terrorism". Footage from the moment of the first explosion showed a line of peaceful protesters chanting and holding hands - then running as soon as the bombs were detonated. According to eyewitnesses, body parts and bloodstains were scattered across a major road junction. Graphic images from the scene showed survivors resuscitating the wounded, and several dead bodies draped in flags. "There was a massacre in the middle of Ankara," said Lami Ozgen, the head of one of the trade unions involved in the rally. Turkey is facing multiple security threats - not just from homegrown leftist militants, but from IS fighters in Syria as well. Airstrikes have also been targeting the bases of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in northern Iraq. An election is due to take place in Turkey on 1 November - and Mr Davutoglu has suspended campaigning for three days in light of the bombings.