On October 1, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that it had conducted a series of airstrikes in northern Iraq and destroyed 20 Kurdish bases in retaliation for a terrorist attack in Ankara the same day.
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| Turkish police increase security checks after a terrorist attack in the capital Ankara, October 1. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
On October 1, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that it had conducted a series of airstrikes in northern Iraq and destroyed 20 Kurdish bases in retaliation for a terrorist attack in Ankara the same day.
The statement said the Turkish military has intensified airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in Gara, Hakurk, Metina and Qandil.
Earlier in the day, the PKK claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at government headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara that injured two police officers.
The suicide attack came hours before Türkiye’s parliament was due to reopen after a three-month summer break. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was “the latest attempt” by terrorists to target Turks.
According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, one of the attackers was identified as a member of the PKK and an investigation is underway to identify the other. One attacker died after detonating a suicide bomb, while the other was shot dead by police in a gun battle at the scene.
Turkish forces regularly carry out ground operations, air strikes and artillery shelling in northern Iraq against the PKK, particularly in the Qandil Mountains, the group's main base. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
In a series of bloody incidents in 2015 and 2016, Kurds, ISIL and other groups claimed responsibility or were blamed for several attacks in major Turkish cities.
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