Following an attack on the premises of a key defense company in Ankara, Turkey has launched airstrikes against suspected Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq for a second consecutive day. The strikes were carried out by the National Intelligence Organization, targeting strategic locations used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Syrian Kurdish militia affiliated with the militants. The targets included military, intelligence, energy, and infrastructure facilities, as well as ammunition depots.
Armed drones were utilized in Thursday's strikes, which followed similar airstrikes conducted by Turkey's air force on Wednesday in northern Syria and northern Iraq. The aerial offensive resulted in the destruction of more than 30 targets, according to the defense ministry.
The deadly attack at the headquarters of the aerospace and defense company TUSAS, which claimed the lives of at least five people, was attributed to the PKK. The assailants, a man and a woman, arrived at the TUSAS premises in Ankara, commandeered a taxi after killing its driver, and proceeded to set off explosives and open fire, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, including a security personnel and a mechanical engineer.
Security teams responded promptly to the attack, with the two assailants being killed on-site. Over 20 people were injured in the incident. The PKK has not issued a statement regarding the attack or the subsequent Turkish airstrikes.
In Syria, Turkish strikes in the north of the country reportedly led to the deaths of 12 civilians and the injury of 25 others, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The strikes targeted bakeries, power stations, oil facilities, and local police checkpoints.
TUSAS, the defense company targeted in the initial attack, is known for designing, manufacturing, and assembling civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other defense industry and space systems. The company's defense systems have played a significant role in Turkey's efforts against Kurdish militants.
The attack occurred shortly after a suggestion by the leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party, allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that the imprisoned PKK leader could be granted parole if he renounces violence and disbands the organization. The PKK has been engaged in a decades-long conflict seeking autonomy in southeast Turkey and is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies.
