The Turkish Air Force attacked Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in northern Syria and Iraq late on Wednesday, the 23rd of October, the Turkish Ministry of Defence announced, in retaliation for a deadly attack earlier in the day on the headquarters of a defence industry company near Ankara that killed five and wounded 22 in what Ankara called a terrorist attack, report Politico and Reuters.
Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu reported that 32 targets were destroyed in the evening attack and air operations are continuing, adding that many PKK members were killed.
The defence ministry said that the Turkish armed forces would “with determination continue the fight against terrorism until not a single terrorist remains”.
#Turkey has attacked 32 Kurdistan Workers’ Party targets in #Syria and #Iraq after the terrorist attack in Ankara, the country’s Defense Ministry has said
The ministry specified that all targets were “successfully destroyed”.
Yesterday in #Ankara, terrorists attacked the… pic.twitter.com/b61KPGTNVg
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 24, 2024
Earlier in the day, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that the attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ) headquarters, which killed five people and injured 22 others, was carried out “most likely” by PKK members.
“The style of operation suggests that the attack was most likely carried out by the PKK. Once the identification is complete and other evidence becomes clearer, we will provide more specific information,” he said.
State-owned defence manufacturer TUSAŞ manufactures and assembles military and civilian aircraft at the plant. Neither the PKK nor any other group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is attending the BRICS conference in the Russian city of Kazan, condemned the attack and accepted the condolences of Russian President Vladimir Putin. NATO, the US and the European Union also condemned the attack.
Wednesday’s violence is the latest flare-up in the ongoing battle between Turkey and the Kurdish militant group, which has been declared a terrorist organisation by the Turkish government and some Western allies, including the US.