Turkish airstrikes hit 29 PKK targets in retaliation for deadly attacks

ANKARA

In response to the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers by the PKK, Turkish airstrikes destroyed 29 terror targets through a series of airstrikes in both northern Iraq and Syria.

The operation – aimed at caves, shelters, bunkers and warehouses harboring PKK members and affiliated elements – seeks to eliminate the potential for further terrorist attacks against Türkiye and its security forces, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Dec. 23.

The recent attacks by the PKK unfolded over two days, with terrorists attempting to infiltrate a base area between the Zap and Metina regions in northern Iraq. The first encounter resulted in the death of six Turkish soldiers and the injury of one, as a large group of PKK members carried out a coordinated assault.

The following day saw another attack on Turkish forces stationed in Iraq's Hakurk region, where six soldiers lost their lives in the face of long-barreled weapons, rocket launchers and grenades.

Turkish counter-attacks, meanwhile, neutralized "numerous terrorists," the statement said. The ministry revealed that senior PKK members were believed to be present in some of the targeted locations. The term "neutralized," as used by Turkish authorities, encompasses terrorists who either surrendered, were killed, or captured during the operation.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU.

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler first directed the air operations from an air force center. The minister later traveled to the Iraqi border to coordinate the military's command echelon.

"The operations will continue with an uninterrupted offensive approach, with increasing violence and pressure until the terrorists with blood on their hands disappear from this geography, regardless of who supports them," Güler stated.

For his part, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan affirmed that Türkiye "would not tolerate a terrorist organization in the north of Iraq or Syria at any cost." In a social media post, he asserted that "separatist scoundrels" would be held accountable for the blood they shed.

The political landscape responded to the developments, with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the İYİ (Good) Party and the Felicity Party issuing a joint statement condemning the attacks.

"Terrorism and violence will never achieve its goal and purpose. We declare with determination that our beloved nation will never bow to terrorism and that it has the strength and power to fight uncompromisingly against all terrorist organizations that pose a threat to the security of the Turkish Republic," the statement read.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), meanwhile, called for a closed session in parliament to discuss the military's regional security. In a separate statement, the CHP condemned terrorism, expressing concern over the "lack of reliable information about the safety of Turkish military personnel" still in the region.

The party demanded a declaration of national mourning in light of the loss of 12 soldiers in the same region over two consecutive nights.