Turkey strikes PKK forces in Syria, Iraq after lethal Ankara attack
The strikes were retaliation for an attack earlier in the day at the headquarters of a Turkish defense company.
The Turkish air force hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Syria and Iraq late Wednesday night, its defense ministry announced, in retaliation for a deadly attack on the headquarters of a defense company near Ankara earlier in the day.
According to the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu, 32 targets were destroyed in the evening attack, and air operations are ongoing. The defense ministry said Turkey’s armed forces would “continue the fight against terrorism with determination and resolve until not a single terrorist remains.”
Earlier in the day, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said members of the PKK were “likely” responsible for an attack at the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ), in which five people were killed and 22 injured, according to Anadolu.
TUSAŞ, a state-owned defense manufacturer, creates and assembles military and civilian aircraft at the facility. Neither the PKK nor any other group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Wednesday’s violence marks the most recent flare-up in an ongoing struggle between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdish militant group, which the Turkish government — and some Western allies including the U.S. — have designated a terrorist organization.
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