Indonesia Condemns Terror Attacks in Ankara, Turkey

Jakarta, (Antara) - The government of Indonesia has condemned the terror attack in Merasim Sokak, Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, which claimed 28 lives.

The attack occurred at 18.31 local time, when a suicide car bomb exploded in the governance administrative area in the capital of Ankara.

According to a press statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry received here on Thursday, Indonesia extended its sympathy to the government and people of Turkey, as well as offered condolences to the families of the victims.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry's Director of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities Protection, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said there have been no reports of Indonesian nationals being harmed in the attack.

According to Reuters News Agency, a car loaded with explosives detonated next to military buses as they waited at traffic lights near Turkey's armed forces' headquarters, parliament and government buildings in the administrative heart of Ankara late on Wednesday.

The car bomb reportedly killed 28 soldiers and civilians, and injured at least 61 other people.

The Indonesian government has called upon all Indonesian nationals who live in or are visiting Turkey to follow orders from local authorities and avoid large gatherings where they might become the target of an attack.

Further, those Indonesians planning to visit Turkey should remain cautious and monitor the situation there, according to the statement.

Also, the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara will monitor the situation closely and work with Turkish authorities to take further actions, if needed.

The embassy has since opened a hotline for Indonesians seeking assistance or information regarding the current situation in Turkey at +905321352298.(*)