Pakistan expresses solidarity with Turkiye as attack on Ankara aviation site kills 4

An armored personnel vehicle and an ambulance move along a road in Kahramankazan, some 40 kilometers north of Ankara on October 23, 2024, near the gate of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), after a huge explosion outside the headquarters left a number of people “dead and injured,” Turkiye’s interior minister said, describing it as a “terrorist attack.” (AFP)

• Unidentified attackers target country’s aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara
• Pakistani PM condemns “dastardly attack,” prays for speedy recovery of 14 people injured

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed solidarity with Turkiye after four people were killed and 14 wounded in an attack on the country’s state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara on Wednesday. 
Turkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers were killed in what he called a “terrorist attack” at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ headquarters. The minister added that three of the injured were in critical condition. 
TV broadcasters earlier showed footage of armed assailants entering the TUSAS building while witnesses said they heard gunfire and a loud explosion at the site. 
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the terrorist attack in Ankara,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. 
“Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with our Turkish brothers. I strongly condemn this dastardly act & pray for the families of the victims as well as speedy recovery of the injured,” he added.
TUSAS is Turkiye’s largest aerospace manufacturer, currently producing a training craft, combat and civilian helicopters, as well as developing the country’s first indigenous fighter jet, KAAN. Owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and government, it employs more than 10,000 people. 
The cause and perpetrators of the attack remained unclear as no group claimed responsibility. Prosecutors have launched an investigation, Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkiye has previously suffered attacks by militant outfits Daesh and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).