Banned Kurdish Militant Group Claims Responsibility for Attack on Turkish Defense Company
A banned Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on the headquarters of a defense company in Ankara, Turkey, resulting in the deaths of at least five people. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, stated that the attack was in response to Turkish “massacres” in Kurdish regions.
The assailants, a man and a woman, stormed the premises of TUSAS, a key aerospace and defense company, setting off explosives and opening fire. The attack resulted in four TUSAS employees losing their lives. The attackers were also killed in a subsequent battle with security teams, with over 20 people injured in the incident.
In retaliation, Turkey launched aerial strikes on suspected locations used by the PKK in Iraq and northern Syria. The attack on TUSAS occurred amidst talks of a possible new dialogue to end the longstanding conflict between the PKK and Turkey.
TUSAS plays a crucial role in designing and manufacturing defense systems and aircraft. Turkish warplanes intensified airstrikes on sites belonging to the PKK and other loyal forces in northern Iraq, resulting in casualties among civilians. The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since the 1980s and is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and its allies.