Russian Ambassador To Turkey Shot Dead

December 19, 2016

The Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov succumbed to his injuries after he was shot at in Ankara today.

Turkish news outlets reported that three other people had also sustained wounds during the assault.

It remains unclear who is behind the attack; Turkey has undergone more than a dozen major terrorist attacks in the past 18 months claimed either by the co-called "Islamic State" (IS) or the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency in the country for more than 30 years.

Anger at Russia

The incident occurred following several days of rallies across Turkey, with protestors holding Moscow responsible for human rights violations and mass killings in Aleppo in neighboring Syria. Turkey has the highest number of Syrians refugees, with migrants from Syria increasingly turning into a political bargaining tool.

Turkey has been a vocal opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - while Russia has deployed troops and its air force in support of the Syrian leader.

(With inputs from DW and RT)