Turkey Strikes PKK Targets in Iraq and Syria After Ankara Attack
Turkey’s government announced on Wednesday night that its military had conducted strikes on sites in Iraq and Syria linked to the Kurdish militant group PKK. This action came after a deadly attack near Ankara that left at least five people dead.
The attack near the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters, located 40km outside the capital, involved gunmen firing weapons at the entrance. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish officials initially stated that 32 targets belonging to the terrorists were destroyed in retaliatory strikes, later increasing the number to 47.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack as “heinous,” with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirming that two attackers, a man and a woman, had been neutralized. The male attacker was identified as PKK member Ali Orek, while efforts to identify the female perpetrator were ongoing.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the UK, has been engaged in a decades-long conflict with the Turkish state for greater rights for the Kurdish minority.
Following the initial strikes, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reported that Turkey had launched a new wave of attacks, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, including civilians. Turkish authorities stated that precautions were taken to avoid harm to innocent civilians and cultural assets.
The attack near Ankara claimed the lives of four TAI employees and a taxi driver. The victims were identified as Cengiz Coskun, Zahide Guclu, Atakan Sahin Erdogan, Huseyin Canbaz, and Murat Arslan. Seven special ops forces members were among the 22 injured in the attack.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed solidarity with Turkey, calling the attack appalling. President Erdogan, currently in Russia for the Brics summit, vowed that security forces would prevent terrorist organizations from achieving their goals.
Authorities imposed a media blackout on the attack details, restricting access to social media platforms in certain areas. The president of Turkey’s Radio and TV Supreme Council urged the removal of images related to the incident to prevent the spread of terrorism.
TAI, a key player in Turkey’s aerospace industry, is responsible for manufacturing aircraft for commercial and military use, including the licensed production of F-16 fighter jets. The company, owned by the Turkish Armed Forces and a civilian defense arm, was targeted during a major trade fair for defense and aerospace industries in Istanbul.
