Turkish Airstrikes Target Militants in Northern Iraq, Suspects Detained in Istanbul After Ankara Bomb Attack

In response to the recent bomb attack in Ankara, Turkish authorities took swift action, conducting airstrikes on militant targets in northern Iraq and detaining suspects in Istanbul overnight. This development followed an attack in Ankara where two assailants detonated a bomb near government buildings, resulting in their own demise and injuries to two police officers. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Turkish defence ministry reported that numerous militants were “neutralized,” which typically implies their elimination, during the airstrikes. These airstrikes targeted 20 locations, including caves, shelters, and depots utilized by the PKK in Iraq’s Metina, Hakurk, Qandil, and Gara regions.

Read more:Eid Miladun Nabi Procession Blast in Mastung Claims Six Lives

Turkey has escalated its military operations against the PKK in northern Iraq in recent years, asserting that these actions are carried out in self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations charter.

The PKK is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. It initiated an insurgency in southeastern Turkey in 1984, resulting in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 individuals.

On the day of the attack in Ankara, CCTV footage obtained by Reuters captured a vehicle stopping outside the main gate of the interior ministry in Ankara. Subsequently, one of the vehicle’s occupants was seen approaching the building before a detonation occurred, engulfing the individual in an explosion.