Turkey carried out airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq for the second day in a row, following an attack on defense companypremises of, resulting in the death of at least five people.
The National Intelligence Organization targeted strategic locations used by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Syrian Kurdish militias linked to them, according to the state-run publication Anatolian Agency.
Targets include military, intelligence, energy, infrastructure facilities and ammunition depots. A security official confirmed the use of armed drones in Thursday’s strikes.
Turkey’s air force destroyed more than 30 targets in northern Syria and Iraq on Wednesday, shortly after officials blamed the PKK for a deadly attack on the headquarters of COUGHan aerospace and defense company.
The attackers, a man and a woman, took over a taxi after killing its driver and reached the TUSAS premises on the outskirts of Ankara. Armed with assault rifles, they detonated explosives and opened fire, resulting in four deaths, including security personnel and a mechanical engineer. Over 20 people were injured. Security teams responded quickly, and the two attackers were killed in the incident.
There were no immediate statements from the PKK about the attack or the Turkish airstrikes.
TUSAS is known for designing and manufacturing civil and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other defense and space systems playing an important role in Turkey’s fight against Kurdish fighters.
The attack took place a day after the leader of the Turkish far-right nationalist partyin alliance with President Recep Tayyip Erdogansuggested that the jailed PKK leader could be granted parole if he renounced violence and disbanded the group.
Abdullah Öcalan’s group has sought autonomy in southeastern Turkey, sparking a conflict that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s. Turkey and its Western allies classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Turkey continues airstrikes against Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq – Times of India
