Turkey hits Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria after deadly attack on defence firm

The strike came hours after a male and female suspect set off explosives and opened fire at a Turkish state-run aerospace company

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Smoke rises as emergency rescue teams and police officers show up outside Turkish Aerospace Industries on the outskirts of Ankara. Photo: AP

Published: 10:49pm, 23 Oct 2024Updated: 5:14pm, 24 Oct 2024

Turkey’s air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria in an apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than 20 others.

The defence ministry said more than 30 targets were “destroyed” in the aerial offensive on Wednesday, without providing details on the locations that were hit. It said “all kinds of precautions” were taken to prevent harm to civilians.

The strike came hours after suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire at the aerospace and defence company TUSAS. The two attackers – a man and a woman – also were killed, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. At least 22 people, including seven security personnel, were injured during the attack.

Yerlikaya said the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was believed to be behind the attack at the defence company. Defence Minister Yasar Guler also pointed the finger at the PKK.

Armed attackers on security camera footage. Photo: Reuters

“We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses,” Guler said. “We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”