Turkey’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday (23 Oct) that Turkish jets launched airstrikes on Kurdish militant positions in Iraq and Syria following an attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters. According to the ministry’s statement, cited by the state-run Anadolu Agency, over 30 targets were “destroyed” in the aerial assault.
“A total of 32 targets belonging to the terrorists were successfully destroyed,” it said.
The strikes come on the heels of an incident on Wednesday where suspected Kurdish militants detonated explosives and opened fire at TUSAS, Turkey’s state-run aerospace and defence firm. The attack left five people dead and more than a dozen injured, as confirmed by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Yerlikaya added that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is believed to be behind the attack, though investigations to confirm the identities of the attackers are still ongoing. Defence Minister Yasar Guler also held the PKK responsible, saying, “We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses. We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous terrorist act” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a BRICS event in Russia. The United States Embassy in Turkey also released a statement, strongly condemning the incident.
What is TUSAS?
TUSAS plays a key role in Turkey’s defence sector, as it makes both civilian and military aircraft, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These UAVs have been instrumental in Turkey’s fight against Kurdish militants within its borders and in neighbouring Iraq.
This attack comes just one day after the leader of Turkey’s far-right nationalist party, which is aligned with Erdogan, hinted at the possibility of parole for the imprisoned leader of the PKK, provided he renounces violence and dissolves the group.
In response to the attack, the Iraqi embassy in Ankara issued a statement condemning the violence. The embassy affirmed “Iraq’s firm position in rejecting terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and expresses the solidarity of Iraq’s government and people, with the government and people of the Republic of Turkey.” Earlier this year, Iraq imposed a ban on the PKK.
(With inputs from agencies)