Turkey's Air Force has targeted Kurdish positions in Iraq and Syria in response to an assault on a key state-run defence company near Ankara, which resulted in five fatalities and over 20 injuries.
On Thursday, the Ministry of National Defence announced that 47 targets were "destroyed" in the air offensive that occurred on Wednesday, although specific locations were not disclosed. The ministry emphasized that "all kinds of precautions" were taken to avoid civilian casualties.
Defence Minister Yasar Guler reported that Turkish forces hit 29 targets in northern Iraq and 18 in northern Syria. The United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stated that Turkish airstrikes in northern and eastern Syria led to the deaths of 12 civilians, including two children, and injured 25 others.
The SDF, which includes the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Arab fighters, has been a key ally of the US-led coalition against ISIL (ISIS) and currently controls a significant portion of Syria, including oil fields and regions where around 900 US soldiers are stationed. Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist group due to its alleged connections to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is blamed for the Wednesday attack.
The Turkish Defence Ministry indicated that 59 militants were "neutralized" during the strikes, a term commonly used to denote those killed. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated on social media that one of the attackers had been identified as a "PKK terrorist" known as "Rojger," along with a woman named Mine Sevjin Alcicek.
Guler also pointed to the PKK's involvement, asserting, “We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.” During a memorial ceremony at a defence industry fair in Istanbul, he vowed that “no member of the treacherous terrorist organisation will be able to escape the grasp of Turkish soldiers.” The PKK has yet to release a statement regarding the attack, and no group has claimed responsibility.
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