A recent attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), a state-run defense plant outside Ankara, blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). On Telegram, the PKK claimed that its “immortals battalion” carried out this act of sacrifice by attacking the TUSAS campus with automatic guns and explosives. The PKK attack on Turkish defense killed five people and injured 22 others. TUSAS is well-known for producing unmanned aerial vehicles, military and commercial aircraft, and other space and defense technologies.
Following this attack, Turkey intensified its military response with airstrikes over two consecutive nights, targeting PKK facilities in northern Iraq. Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed the attacks, stating they damaged shelters, storage facilities, and other PKK infrastructure. Notably, these strikes hit 34 PKK targets in Hakurk, Gara, Qandil, and Sinjar. Furthermore, the Turkish government asserts it has ample evidence linking the PKK to the TUSAS attack, labeling the group a terrorist organization alongside the US and the EU.
Meanwhile, local media reported that Turkey launched synchronized attacks on northern Syria and Iraq, striking 18 and 29 sites, respectively. Following the BRICS conference in Kazan, Russian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the terrorism issue. He reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to pursuing PKK-affiliated groups “at their source” in Syria and Iraq. He pledged that Turkey would continue military action until all threats are neutralized.
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) reported hitting 120 PKK targets in Iraq and Syria since the Ankara attack. Security sources revealed that Turkish drone strikes in northern and eastern Syria killed 27 civilians, as per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The monitor recorded 45 drone and four airstrikes on infrastructure, including water networks, power facilities, and gas stations. Turkish authorities, however, deny that they target civilians.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that Turkish operations nationwide led to 176 arrests of suspected PKK members. For decades, Turkey has conducted airstrikes against PKK strongholds in Iraq and Kurdish groups in Syria. The PKK has pursued autonomy in southeastern Turkey since the 1980s.
