In a recent development from Ankara, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack on a Turkish Aerospace Industries facility that occurred on October 23. According to Reuters, two attackers—a man and a woman—used automatic rifles and explosives during the assault, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuring 22 others. Both attackers were killed at the scene.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya identified the attackers as Ali Orek and Mine Sevgin Achicek, both members of the PKK, in a statement made on October 24. Reporting from Bianet, a Turkish media outlet, revealed that the PKK’s military wing confirmed the attack was premeditated and affirmed the identities of the attackers, which aligned with the Minister’s earlier announcement.
On October 25, Yerlikaya announced that police forces across 31 provinces in Turkey had launched coordinated operations against the PKK, leading to the arrest of 176 suspects identified as members of a “terrorist organization.” Additionally, in a separate operation targeting the PKK, local police in the southeastern province of Mardin eliminated a member who was wanted under Turkey’s “red notice.”
The Turkish Defense Ministry also reported air operations conducted by the Turkish Air Force late on October 24, targeting 34 locations in northern Iraq associated with the PKK. Several members of the PKK were reportedly killed in these strikes.
Founded in 1979, the PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and seeks to establish an independent state for Kurds in the regions bordering Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria.
