Türkiye attacks Kurdish sites after attack that killed five people near Ankara

The Turkish government said its troops attacked sites on Wednesday night in Iraq and Syria linked to the Kurdish militant group PKK, after blaming it for the near-miss attack. Ankara left at least 5 people dead.

Various videos of the earlier attack on Wednesday showed at least two people opening fire around the entrance of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital. .

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which injured 22 people.

“A total of 32 terrorist targets were successfully destroyed” in the retaliatory strike, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attack on TAI “heinous” in a post on X.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers, a woman and a man, had been “neutralized”, adding that the attack most likely had the participation of the PKK.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is banned as a terrorist organization in Türkiye, the US and the UK, and has fought against the Turkish state since the 1980s for greater minority rights. the country’s significant Kurdish population.

Reuters news agency quoted Turkish intelligence officials as saying the targets of the airstrikes included military facilities, ammunition depots and energy infrastructure.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Thursday morning that Türkiye had launched a “new wave of attacks,” including “civilian gatherings,” that left 12 people dead.

Türkiye’s Defense Ministry earlier said “all precautionary measures have been taken to prevent harm to innocent civilians, friendly elements, historical and cultural properties and the environment” .

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said four victims of the attack near Ankara were TAI employees, while the fifth was a taxi driver.

The victims were named by the Turkish state news agency as Cengiz Coskun, a quality control officer, Zahide Guclu, a mechanical engineer, security guard Atakan Sahin Erdogan, another employee named Huseyin Canbaz and Murat Arslan, taxi driver.

Local media previously reported that the attackers killed the taxi driver before taking his car to carry out the attack.

They said the explosion occurred around shift change time and staff had to be directed to take shelter.

Yerlikaya also confirmed that seven special forces members were among the 22 injured in the attack.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “horrified” by the attack in Ankara.

In a post on X, he wrote: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Türkiye as a close NATO ally and friend.”

President Erdogan – who is in Russia for the Brics summit – condemned what he called a “cowardly terrorist attack” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech broadcast live continue on TV.

He later posted a lengthy statement on X, saying that security forces acted quickly to neutralize the threat and that “there is no terrorist organization, no evil target on our security can achieve their goals”.

Turkish authorities have banned media from providing details about the attack, and users in large areas of the country have reported being unable to use social media sites such as YouTube, Instagram , Facebook and X.

Chairman of the Supreme Council of Turkish Radio and Television, Ebubekir Sahin, warned that all images related to the incident should be deleted from social networks and urged users not to share images that “will serve terrorist purposes”.

TAI is a key player in Türkiye’s aerospace industry, designing, developing and manufacturing a variety of aircraft for commercial and military use.

This is a company designated by NATO members as a licensed manufacturer for US-designed F-16 fighter aircraft. TAI also plays a role in modernizing old aircraft for use by the Turkish military.

The company’s two main owners are the Turkish Armed Forces and a civilian agency of the Turkish government responsible for improving defense capabilities and managing military procurement.

The explosion occurred just as a major trade fair for the defense and aerospace industry was taking place in Istanbul this week.