Turkish Retaliation: Unleashing Airstrikes on Kurdish Militants After Devastating Ankara Blast

The Turkish military conducted airstrikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq on Sunday, shortly after the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in the capital. The Turkish Defense Ministry stated that 20 PKK targets, such as caves, bunkers, shelters, and warehouses, were destroyed by warplanes in the Metina, Hakurk, Kandil, and Gara regions.

The statement argued that the use of domestic and national ammunition had resulted in the neutralization of numerous terrorists, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to justify the strikes. The PKK, recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, claimed responsibility for the explosion outside the Interior Ministry building in Turkey on Sunday, resulting in one fatality and two injuries, as reported by the pro-PKK Firat News Agency.

Two attackers killed a civilian and robbed him of his vehicle prior to the commencement of the parliamentary session in Ankara, as stated by the ministry. It is reported that two police officers sustained injuries that are not life-threatening. The ministry further mentioned that one of the assailants detonated himself, while the other was apprehended.

At the scene, investigators discovered four different gun variations, three hand grenades, a rocket launcher, and C-4 explosives.

The ministry has confirmed that the identity of one of the attackers is a PKK member, while the second attacker remains unidentified.

Turkish security forces cordon off an area after an explosion in Ankara on Sunday.

According to Minority Rights Group International, Kurds, who lack an official homeland or country, constitute the largest minority in Turkey, accounting for approximately 15% to 20% of the population.

Certain areas of Kurdistan, a region that lacks a recognized government and is one of the largest nations without a state, are acknowledged by Iran, particularly the province of Kordestan, and Iraq, specifically the northern autonomous region referred to as Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or Iraqi Kurdistan.

As stated by Ankara, the PKK is responsible for training separatist militants and carrying out assaults on Turkey from its strongholds in northern Iraq and Syria, where a Kurdish group affiliated with the PKK holds significant portions of land.

An explosion near the Turkish Parliament and Interior Ministry in Ankara, Turkey on October 1, 2023, prompted a thorough inspection by police officers. The incident involved two terrorists, one of whom detonated an explosive device, according to the interior minister. The accompanying photograph captures the aftermath of the attack. (Photo by Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

At least one killed in bomb attack near government building in Ankara, Turkey says

Terrorist incidents surged in Turkey during the mid to late 2010s, as the spillover of insecurity from war-stricken Syria infiltrated across their shared border. Furthermore, in November of the previous year, Ankara held the PKK responsible for a devastating bombing on a prominent pedestrian boulevard in Istanbul, resulting in six fatalities and leaving numerous others wounded.

Turkey has conducted frequent operations against the PKK within its borders and also launched cross-border operations into Syria. During a speech to lawmakers on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed Turkey's determination to persist in its fight against terrorism, promising to eradicate all terrorists both at home and abroad.

Sundays attack marked the "final flutters of terrorism" in the country, he added.

CNNs Eyad Kourdi, Duarte Mendonca, Zahid Mahmood and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.