Türkiye strikes PKK bases in Iraq after Ankara bombing

ANKARA

Turkish military jets launched air strikes in northern Iraq late on Oct. 1 in response to a bombing earlier the same day near the parliament building in the capital Ankara.

The Interior Ministry has identified one of the assailants as a member of the PKK, while efforts to identify the second attacker are ongoing.

The district targeted by the bombing is home to several government ministries and the Turkish parliament, which resumed its activities as planned in the afternoon with a statement from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who called the attack “the last stand of terrorism.”

"The villains who threaten the peace and security of our citizens have not achieved their objectives and will never achieve them," Erdoğan declared.

According to the ministry's statement, two attackers arrived in a commercial vehicle around 9:30 a.m. in front of the entrance to the ministry's General Directorate of Security and carried out the bomb attack.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed, "One of the terrorists blew himself up, while the other was killed by a bullet to the head before he had a chance to detonate his explosives." Two police officers were lightly injured in the exchange of gunfire but are not in critical condition.

“Our fight against terrorism, their collaborators, the [drug] dealers, gangs and organized crime organizations will continue with determination,” he said.

Police found plastic explosives, hand grenades and a rocket launcher at the scene.

The ministry revealed that the vehicle used in the attack attempt belonged to a citizen named Mikail Bozlağan, who worked as a veterinarian in a private workplace in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri's Develi district. Bozlağan was killed by the attackers in their attempt to hijack his vehicle.

In response to the attack, the Defense Ministry confirmed an air operation in northern Iraq with the aim of "neutralizing the PKK." The operation reportedly resulted in the destruction of "20 targets used by terrorists."

Turkish military and officials use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered, were killed or captured.

Furthermore, the police detained 20 individuals in raids conducted at various addresses in Istanbul and nearby Kırklareli province following the attack. These operations targeted individuals who were allegedly involved in "collecting aid for detained or convicted PKK members and establishing safe houses for them."

Meanwhile, numerous foreign leaders expressed support for Türkiye following the attack.

Messages of support were received from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States embassy in Ankara.

The Turkish capital has been the site of several attacks in recent years, particularly during 2015 and 2016, with many attributed to the PKK or ISIL. In October 2015, an ISIL-claimed attack in front of a central station in Ankara resulted in the loss of 109 lives.

The most recent bombing in the country occurred in Istanbul's bustling Istiklal Avenue in November 2022, where six people were killed and 81 others were injured.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.