Ankara toll rises as Erdogan vows to bring 'terrorism to its knees'

The death toll from Sunday's car bombing in Ankara rose to 37, officials said on Monday, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country would bring "terrorism... to its knees”.

More than 120 people were also wounded in the blast in Kizilay square, a major transport hub, on Sunday evening in what security officials said was a suicide attack.

Video released on social media appeared to show the moment of the explosion:

“As of this morning... we lost three more citizens in hospital,” Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said, adding that at least one of the attackers was counted in the overall toll.

Security officials said on Monday that a female Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) member was responsible for the attack, though an official announcement is expected to be made later on  Monday.

"We have concrete information on the terrorist group behind the attack," said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. "We will soon have results from the inquiry, and will make them public.”

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, but attacks in Ankara in recent months have been claimed by or blamed on both Kurdish militants linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Islamic State group (IS).

Last month, 29 people died in the suicide bombing of a military convoy in the capital. That was claimed by a dissident faction of the PKK, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK).

In October, 103 people died in twin suicide bombings blamed on IS.

The PKK has in the past disavowed attacks on civilians. Following a car bomb attack in the southeast town of Cinar in January which killed two civilians, the group released a statement apologising for the deaths.

“It is clear that civilians should never be our target in accordance with the general line and political objectives of our movement. The target of this action was the security forces,” the PKK said in a statement released by the pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF).

However, TAK have been seen as having less scruples where civilian deaths are confirmed and have previously deemed the PKK "too humanist" with regards to its operations.

On Sunday, Erdogan said Turkey would continue to fight terrorism determinedly and would assert its right of self-defence to prevent further attacks.

"Our people should not worry, the struggle against terrorism will for certain end in success and terrorism will be brought to its knees," Erdogan said.

The pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HDP) also released a statement on Sunday evening condemning the attack for targeting "our fellow civilian citizens":

Turkish security forces have been waging a major campaign against Kurdish militants in the country's south-east following the collapse of a two-year ceasefire with the PKK, with several towns placed under curfew, as well as bombing Kurdish rebel groups in neighbouring Syria.

Authorities said restrictions would be placed on Yuksekova, near the Iranian border, and Nusaybin, on the frontier with Syria, to "restore order and security" following an increase in "terrorist activity".

Ankara has vowed to wipe out the PKK, classed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, and has said "clean-up" operations in Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Sirnak, a third Kurdish-majority city, are imminent.

The Turkish military also said on Monday that it had launched air raids against Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq.

Australia said its ambassador to Turkey, James Larsen, was in his car 20 metres from the bomb when it went off.

Turkey is also seeking to persuade the EU to speed up its path to membership in return for help with the migrant crisis.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the "vile attack" and said France stood alongside Turkey in the fight against terrorism. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "appalled".

The US condemned the "horrific attack", with the White House National Security Council pledging to work with Turkey "to confront the scourge of terrorism".

A judge in Ankara banned the spreading of information about the attack online, particularly on social media sites, where photos and videos had been circulating.