ANKARA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will stand united against terrorist attacks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday after a blast shook the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara, leaving at least two dead.
"All these [attacks] are against the peace and welfare of our country. We will stand tall; we will stand strong and overcome these [attacks]. We will never say enough, we will never say 'this is the end,' we will get stronger as we grow," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Hurriyet Daily News in a speech given in Istanbul.
The struggle against terrorism should be fought all together all around the world, Erdogan said.
In his speech, the Turkish prime minister said the suicide attacker blew himself up in the blast, with the number of deaths reported at one or two, but the final death toll was not certain yet.
The explosion occurred at the entrance used by the embassy personnel and visitors, reported CNNTurk, saying that a security guard at the X-ray machine at the entrance was killed when a suspected suicide bomber was passing through the machine.
"At approximately 13:15 on Feb. 1, there was an explosion at the U.S. Embassy. Appropriate measures have been taken by the Turkish Police who are now investigating the incident," U.S. Embassy in Ankara confirmed in a written statement.
Television footage showed that the embassy door had been blown out, with the wall around scattered and body parts strewn around the scene. Dozens of ambulances and fire engines have rushed to the scene, also home to other diplomatic missions.
Ankara Governor Alaaddin Yuksel told reporters, "It was a suicide bombing, and the blast occurred inside the U.S. Embassy building," adding that the gate is the visa section of the embassy compound.
One of the killed was an U.S. security guard and the other was the suicide bomber, said Yuksel.
The Turkish governor, however, declined to comment if they had received any intelligence before the attack.
Turkish police stepped up security measures around the embassy and cordoned off the area for fear of a second possible attack. Police helicopters were also screening the area over the embassy building.
No one or organization has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
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