After attack with five dead Turkey flies attacks on Kurdish positions in Syria and Iraq
A Turkish arms manufacturer is attacked in Ankara. The government announces in the evening that it suspects the PKK is behind the attack and launches airstrikes a short time later.
24.10.2024, 04:38
24.10.2024, 08:39
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- Following the attack in Ankara that left at least five people dead, Turkey has attacked targets in northern Syria and northern Iraq from the air.
- According to the state news agency Anadolu, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that "32 terrorist targets were destroyed".
- A few hours earlier, the Turkish government had linked the attack to the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).
- At least five people were killed and 22 injured in Wednesday's attack on one of Turkey's most important defense companies.
Following the attack in Ankara, which left at least five people dead, Turkey attacked targets in northern Syria and northern Iraq from the air. According to the state news agency Anadolu, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that "32 terrorist targets were destroyed". "Our airstrikes will continue in a determined manner", it continued. A few hours earlier, the Turkish government had linked the attack to the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).
Turkey regularly takes action against the PKK, headquartered in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq, as well as the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria, which it considers an offshoot of the PKK.
At least 5 people were killed and 22 injured in Wednesday's attack on one of Turkey's most important defense companies. The two suspected attackers were also killed, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The attack bore the hallmarks of the PKK, the minister said. A short time later, Anadolu reported on the airstrikes in neighboring countries. The Turkish broadcasting authority Rtük had imposed a news blackout in connection with the issue.
Erdogan: Attack on the driving force of the Turkish defense industry
The target of the attack, the Turkish Aerospace Industries (Tusas) company, is a subsidiary of the state defense industry agency and four of the five victims were employed by it. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of a "cowardly attack" on a mainstay of the Turkish defense industry. Among other things, the company is a major producer of fighter jets and drones. According to analyst Murat Yetkin, Tusas drones are used by Turkey in the fight against both the PKK and the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia.
Attacks by several groups in the past
The current attack occurred shortly after the ultra-nationalists of the MHP party surprisingly raised the issue of a possible release of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. The MHP is Erdogan's partner in government. However, its leader Devlet Bahceli had linked this to the disarmament of the terrorist organization. Observers see this as a sign that there could possibly be a new peace process between the government and the PKK. The last attempt failed in 2015.
In Turkey, IS, the left-wing extremist Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C) and the PKK have all carried out serious attacks in the past, including in Ankara. The PKK has been fighting against the Turkish state since the 1980s. It is classified as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the European Union and the USA.