In a recent incident, Türkiye’s air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following an attack at a state-run defense company that resulted in casualties. The defense ministry reported that over 30 targets were destroyed in the aerial offensive, aimed at preventing harm to civilians. The attack at the aerospace and defense company TUSAS was carried out by suspected Kurdish militants, resulting in the deaths of five people and injuries to more than 20 others. The two assailants, a man, and a woman, were also killed in the attack. Both Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Defense Minister Yasar Guler attributed the attack to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and vowed to eliminate all terrorists.
Although the PKK has not released a statement regarding the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned the terrorist attack. TUSAS, the targeted defense company, is known for designing, manufacturing, and assembling civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other defense industry and space systems. The company’s drones have played a crucial role in Türkiye’s fight against Kurdish militants. The attack took place shortly after hints were made about the possible release of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, in exchange for renouncing violence and disbanding the organization.
The conflict between the PKK and Türkiye dates back to the 1980s, during which tens of thousands of individuals lost their lives. The pro-Kurdish political party of Türkiye denounced the TUSAS attack, noting that it occurred at a time when the possibility of initiating a dialogue to end the conflict had arisen. Security camera footage showed a man in plain clothes carrying an assault rifle at the entrance of the TUSAS complex. Reports indicated that the assailants arrived at the site in a taxi, resulting in the death of a mechanical engineer and the taxi driver whose body was discovered in the vehicle’s trunk.
Security forces swiftly responded to the attack, entering the premises as gunshots were heard. Authorities imposed a temporary blackout on news coverage of the incident and restricted access to social media platforms. Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz emphasized that the attack targeted Türkiye’s success in the defense industry. International leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, expressed their solidarity with Türkiye and condemned the heinous act. The Iraqi Embassy in Ankara also condemned the attack, reiterating Iraq’s rejection of terrorism in all forms and manifestations. Iraq had previously announced a ban on the PKK earlier in the year.
