Türkiye strikes PKK bases in Iraq again in retaliation for Ankara attack

ANKARA

Turkish warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes against PKK targets in Iraq late on Oct. 4 hours after Ankara warned that it would hit the organization's positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Ankara last week.

The PKK claimed responsibility for Oct. 1's attack outside the Interior Ministry in Ankara in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police were slightly wounded in the attack.

The Turkish jets targeted 22 suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq on Oct. 4, destroying caves, shelters and depots used by the militants, the Defense Ministry said. The PKK maintains bases in the region, where its leadership has a foothold.

It was the Turkish air force's third airstrike against suspected sites in northern Iraq following the attack, which came as parliament prepared to reopen after a long summer recess. Meanwhile, dozens of people suspected of links to the PKK have been detained in a series of raids across Türkiye.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference that Turkish intelligence officials have established that the two assailants arrived from Syria, where they had been trained. The minister said Türkiye "would now target facilities in Syria and Iraq belonging to the PKK and YPG."

“From now on, all infrastructure, superstructure and energy facilities belonging to the PKK or the YPG in Iraq and Syria are legitimate targets of our security forces, armed forces and intelligence elements,” Fidan said. "I recommend that third parties stay away from these facilities."

Fidan later joined a previously unannounced security meeting with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, top military commander Metin Gürak and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın.

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.

Türkiye's air force struck suspected PKK sites in northern Iraq hours after the attack over the weekend, and again on Oct. 3.

Ankara said a large number of PKK militants were “neutralized” in these strikes. Turkish military and officials use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered, were killed, or captured.

Meanwhile, reports from daily Hürriyet reveal that sources from the Defense Ministry reaffirmed Ankara's commitment to continued operations against the PKK, citing them as "legitimate targets" within the context of the fight against terrorism.

"It is Türkiye's natural right to conduct operations in line with its self-defense rights arising from international law in order to eliminate terrorist attacks against our people and security forces and to ensure our border security," sources were quoted as saying.

For his part, Colonel Zeki Aktürk, the ministry's press and public relations consultant, commented on the current situation in Syria.

"Harassment and attack attempts to disrupt the security and peace environment created in Türkiye's operational areas continue in Syria," he noted.

"All necessary measures are being taken to maintain stability in the region, and efforts to ensure the return of Syrians to a safe environment continue," Aktürk added.