Breaking News: Deadly Turkish Airstrikes Claim 11 Lives in Northern Syria, Kurdish Security Forces Report

Turkish airstrikes, in response to a bomb attack claimed by Kurdish militants in Turkey's capital, have resulted in the deaths of at least 11 individuals in various Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria, according to a statement released on Thursday by the Kurdish Internal Security Force, also known as Asayish. The targeted locations included a camp for displaced individuals and multiple villages.

As per Asayish, a total of eleven individuals lost their lives in the incident, with five being civilians and six belonging to the Internal Security Forces. The report also states that eight civilians and two members of the Kurdish security forces sustained injuries.

In a statement on Friday, the Defense Ministry of Turkey announced that it had successfully destroyed 30 targets and eliminated multiple militants belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) during its recent military operation in northern Syria. The ministry justified these strikes by citing its rights to self-defense as provided by Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

These strikes were carried out in response to a bombing incident in Ankara, which occurred over the weekend and was claimed by the PKK. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union all classify the PKK as a terrorist organization, and they have been engaged in a protracted insurgency for nearly four decades.

One civilian was fatally injured in the Sunday attack as militants commandeered a vehicle, while two police officers sustained injuries in the bombing near the Interior Ministry building in Turkey. Following this incident, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that it had effectively obliterated 20 PKK targets in northern Iraq through airstrikes.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed in a press conference on Wednesday that security forces and intelligence have ascertained that the terrorists responsible for the recent incident emanated from Syria and underwent training there. Ankara claims that the PKK, operating under a Kurdish group linked to them, trains separatist fighters and carries out attacks against Turkey from their strongholds in northern Iraq and Syria.

Fidan stated that the Turkish Armed Forces would consider all facilities owned by the PKK and associated Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in Iraq and Syria as "legitimate targets."

"Our armed forces will respond to the terrorist attack in a decisive manner, and those responsible will regret their actions," Fidan declared.

An aerial photograph captured on March 8, 2023 exhibits The Pentagon, which serves as the central administration building for the US Department of Defense. Positioned in Arlington County, it lies just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.

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According to Minority Rights Group International, Kurds, constituting 15% to 20% of the population, form the largest minority in Turkey. Iran recognizes portions of Kurdistan, including the province of Kordestan, while Iraq acknowledges the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or Iraqi Kurdistan as the autonomous region in the north. Kurdistan is one of the largest stateless nations globally.

Turkey has been consistently conducting domestic and cross-border operations, targeting the PKK, in recent years.

In November 2022, Ankara held the PKK responsible for a bomb explosion in Istanbul, resulting in the loss of six lives and leaving several injured.

During the mid to late 2010s, Turkey experienced a distressing frequency of terror attacks as the spillover of insecurity from war-ravaged Syria seeped across their shared border. Hande Atay Alam from CNN provided additional reporting.