Turkey's response to the attack that killed five people in a factory near Ankara on Wednesday was swift. Turkish authorities have pointed to the PKK as the "likely" perpetrator of the attack and in retaliation, they bombed their positions in Iraq and Syria, as reported by Afp. At least twelve people, including two children, were killed, and 25 were injured in the attacks.
The explosive attack that occurred in front of Turkey's defense industries headquarters, about 40 km from the capital Ankara, left five dead and 22 injured. Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, stated that due to its nature, it is "highly likely" linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Defense Minister, Yasar Guler, supported this hypothesis and denounced those who, "as always, tried to disturb the peace" by carrying out "a despicable and dishonorable attack." "We always give these wrongdoers from the PKK the punishment they deserve (...). We will not give up pursuing them until we eliminate the last terrorist and make them suffer for what they have done," he added.
Shortly before midnight (21:00 GMT), the ministry announced that they bombed 32 PKK and allied targets in northern Iraq and Syria.
"In accordance with our right to self-defense (...), we carried out an air operation against terrorist targets in northern Iraq and Syria (...) and a total of 32 targets belonging to terrorists were destroyed," the ministry stated in a release, adding that "air operations continue."
According to a statement from the Kurdish-Syrian Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), "in the last hours, the Turkish occupation state has launched a new wave of attacks on the northern and eastern regions of Syria, targeting civilian infrastructure, gatherings of people, and security forces." "These attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 12 civilians, including two children, and injuries to 25 others," the note points out.
The PKK, classified as "terrorist" by Turkey and its Western allies, including the United States and the European Union, has been fighting against the Turkish army since 1984.
Turkish Vice President, Cevdet Yilmaz, who visited the injured, said that the deceased are four employees and a taxi driver, and that seven of the injured are police officers.
The private television channel NTV reported that it was a suicide attack and indicated that a "group of terrorists" had stormed the building, with one of them detonating explosives. Following the explosion, there was gunfire for over an hour, according to local media.
The newspaper Sabah posted on social media X a photo taken from surveillance cameras at the building's entrance, showing a young man dressed in black, carrying a backpack and apparently armed with a rifle, described as "one of the terrorists attacking #TAI."
Television images showed large flames and white smoke at the site's entrance. The operation has not been claimed yet.
NATO and Putin's Solidarity
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denounced from the Russian city of Kazan, where he is a guest at a BRICS summit, an attack motivated by "hatred."
"No structure, no terrorist organization, no infamous focus against our security will be able to achieve its objectives. Our fight against all terrorist threats will continue with determination," he added in X.
The Secretary-General of NATO, a military alliance of which Turkey is a member, stated that he had spoken with Erdogan over the phone to express support after this "terrorist attack." "My message was very clear: NATO stands with Turkey," Mark Rutte added in X.
Erdogan received direct support from Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with whom he met in Kazan. "We condemn any action of this kind, whatever its motivations," Putin declared upon receiving the Turkish leader.
An important defense and aerospace industries fair is taking place this week in Istanbul, with the presence of the Defense Industries President, attended by, among others, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andri Sibiga.
Turkey's defense sector, known for its famous Bayraktar drones, accounts for nearly 80% of the country's export revenues, with a turnover of $10.2 billion in 2023.
The last attack recorded in Turkey, at a church in Istanbul in January, resulted in one death and was claimed by the Islamic State group.
Prior to that, the PKK, engaged in armed struggle against the government, had carried out an attack on a police station in Ankara in October 2023, resulting in two attackers dead and two injured police officers.