Turkey Targets Kurdish Positions in Syria, Iraq After Attack on Defense Firm
On Thursday, NATO member Turkey conducted airstrikes on what it claimed were Kurdish militant positions in Iraq and Syria. This followed a terrorist attack on a state-run defense agency earlier this week, which resulted in five fatalities.
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization reportedly targeted numerous “strategic locations” allegedly used by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997 – and locations used by Syrian Kurdish militia affiliated with the militant group.
Armed drones were employed to strike military, intelligence, energy and infrastructure facilities, along with ammunition depots, as reported by The Associated Press.
However, according to a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish group, the Turkish attacks have been “indiscriminate” and have targeted civilian areas and health centers.
“Turkey indiscriminately and unjustifiably bombards our areas, targeting civilian, service, and health centers,” he stated in a message on X. “This is a war crime.
“We have repeatedly shown our readiness for dialogue. Meanwhile, we affirm that our forces are ready to defend our people and land,” he added.
During Turkey’s aerial bombardment on Thursday, 12 individuals were killed, including two children, and 25 others sustained injuries.
“In addition to populated areas, Turkish warplanes and UAVs targeted bakeries, power stations, oil facilities, and Internal Security Force checkpoints. These essential civic facilities were among the 42 civic sites struck by Turkish artillery shelling,” the statement mentioned.
It remains unclear whether any casualties have been confirmed in Iraq. One source on the ground in the affected region, who heard fighter jets and “loud explosions,” told Digital that the mountainous area that was bombed had already been largely depopulated due to previous Turkish military operations.
Digital could not immediately reach the State Department for comment regarding the attacks and civilian deaths reported by the SDF – who have been allies in the war against ISIS.
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler stated that 47 alleged PKK targets were destroyed in Wednesday’s airstrikes, including 29 in Iraq and 18 in Syria.
“Our noble nation should rest assured that we will continue with increasing determination our struggle to eliminate the evil forces that threaten the security and peace of our country and people, until the last terrorist disappears from this geography,” Guler declared.
The strikes in Iraq and Syria commenced on Wednesday after two suspected Kurdish assailants carried out an attack on an aerospace and defense company, known as TUSAS, in the Turkish capital of Ankara earlier that day.
A man and a woman, reportedly armed with assault rifles, arrived at the TUSAS premises in a stolen taxi after killing the driver.
They detonated explosives and opened fire, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to another 22 before they were killed by responding security forces. Turkish officials have deemed this incident a “terrorist attack.”
The PKK has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Wednesday issued a statement strongly condemning the “terrorist attack.”
The Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment by Digital.