Turkey runs airstrikes over Kurdish insurgents after fatal Ankara blast

Turkey runs airstrikes over Kurdish insurgents after fatal Ankara blast

Web Desk
October 2, 2023

Turkey runs airstrikes over Kurdish insurgents after fatal Ankara blast

Turkey runs airstrikes over Kurdish insurgents after fatal Ankara blast.
PKK claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in the capital city.
A significant number of terrorists were neutralized during the airstrikes.

Turkey’s military conducted airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, shortly after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in the capital city, marking the latest incident in the group’s nearly four-decade-long insurgency.

According to a statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry, its warplanes successfully destroyed 20 PKK targets, which included caves, bunkers, shelters, and warehouses in various regions like Metina, Hakurk, Kandil, and Gara.

The statement also mentioned that a significant number of terrorists were neutralized during the airstrikes, utilizing domestically produced ammunition to address the threat posed by the PKK.

The ministry cited the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter as the basis for these military operations.

The PKK, classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, had earlier claimed responsibility for a bombing incident outside Turkey’s Interior Ministry building. This attack resulted in one fatality and two injuries.

According to the Ministry of Interior, two attackers stole a civilian’s vehicle and killed him before attempting to carry out an attack ahead of a parliamentary session in Ankara. Two police officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

During the incident, one attacker detonated an explosive device, while the other was neutralized. Investigators discovered a cache of weaponry, including various firearms, hand grenades, a rocket launcher, and C-4 explosives at the scene.

The ministry confirmed that at least one of the attackers was affiliated with the PKK, while the identity of the second assailant remains under investigation.

Kurds account for approximately 15% to 20% of the country’s population, as per Minority Rights Group International. While Kurds do not have an official homeland, certain regions with a Kurdish majority are recognized in Iran (Kordestan province) and Iraq (Kurdistan Regional Government).

Turkey alleges that the PKK trains separatist fighters and launches attacks against Turkey from its bases in northern Iraq and Syria, where a PKK-affiliated Kurdish group controls substantial territory.

Terrorist attacks in Turkey had been relatively common during the mid to late 2010s, driven by the instability stemming from the Syrian conflict spilling over into the border region shared by Turkey and Syria.

Ankara attributed a bombing on a central pedestrian boulevard in Istanbul to the PKK, resulting in six fatalities and numerous injuries in November of the previous year.

Turkey has conducted a series of operations against the PKK within its borders and has also carried out cross-border military actions in Syria over the past few years.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed Turkey’s commitment to combat terrorism both domestically and abroad, pledging to continue the fight “until the last terrorist is eliminated” in a parliamentary address on Sunday.

He characterized Sunday’s attack as the “final flutters of terrorism” in the country.

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