Turkey strikes Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following lethal terrorist assault on defence firm that left 5 lifeless and 22 injured
Turkey’s air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in an apparent retaliation to a terrorist attack that killed five people and wounded 22 others.
The defense ministry said more than 30 targets were ‘destroyed’ in the aerial offensive, without providing details on the locations that were hit.
It said ‘all kinds of precautions’ were taken to prevent harm to civilians.
The strikes came just hours after suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire at the aerospace and defense company TUSAS yesterday.
The rifle wielding male and female terrorists who stormed the headquarters of the Turkish defence company were killed after launching the deadly assault on the Turkish Aerospace Industries near the capital Ankara on Wednesday at around 4pm local time (1300 GMT).
Footage from the building released by Turkish broadcasters shows an armed man entering the building
One of the attackers who stormed the building was a woman. Authorities said she and a male attacker were ‘neutralised’
The two people with guns and backpacks during an attack on the premises of the Turkish state-run aerospace and defence company (TUSAS)
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, in an X post, said yesterday: ‘A terrorist attack has been carried out against TUSAŞ Ankara Kahramankazan facilities.’
Yerlikaya said that two attackers, one male and one female, were neutralised, but did not say whether there were any other attackers still at large.
He announced that five people died and 22 people were injured in the incident and that 19 of the wounded were still receiving treatment.
The minister added that authorities are working to determine their identities and the organisation they belong to, and said that three of the wounded are in a serious condition.
Following the fatal attack, a court decision has imposed a publication ban on developments related to the incident.
Yerlikaya warned: ‘The public will be informed about the developments. Please take into consideration the statements to be made by official sources.’
A similar warning came from the Center for Combating Disinformation under the Directorate of Communications.
Yerlikaya also said the perpetrators were ‘highly likely’ members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
‘The style of the act shows that it’s highly likely the PKK that carried out the attack. Once identification is completed and other evidence become clearer, we’ll share more concrete information with you,’ he said.
Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, in his statement regarding the attack in the evening, also pointed to the PKK and said: ‘We give these PKK members the punishment they deserve every time, but they never come to their senses.’
A woman reacts at the entrance of the headquarters of Turkey’s aviation company TUSAS
Relatives of employees watch on following an attack on October 23, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey
Family members wait anxiously for news amid the ongoing attack on the TUSAS headquarters
Family members and relatives gather in the vicinity of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) building
Locals gathered around while waiting for news on their loved ones following the deadly attack
The attackers are seen by an abandoned car near the entrance of the defence manufacturer building
People are seen taking shelter and barricading doors inside the building
Smoke rises as security forces, firefighters, and paramedics are dispatched to Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) facilities after explosions and gunshots were reported
Pictures from the scene show a fireball erupting and a large plume of smoke rising near the entrance
A picture has been circulating online which is believed to show a cache of weapons belonging to the ‘neutralised’ terrorists
A gunman is seen in CCTV footage near one of the building’s entrances during the attack
Güler added: ‘We will not give up on pursuing them until the last terrorist is eliminated. We will avenge the pain of what was done.’
There was no official statement from other officials about the PKK’s role in the attack.
Explosions and gunshots were heard outside the building this afternoon, with pictures from the scene showing a fireball erupting and a large plume of smoke rising near the front of the complex.
Unconfirmed reports in local media suggested that a suicide bomber targeted the entrance gate before attackers clashed with security services.
Turkish special forces were dispatched to the scene, with video showing dozens of soldiers heading to the site as terrified staff members barricaded themselves and hid from the terrorists as they awaited rescue.
Meanwhile relatives of employees trapped inside the building waited anxiously for news about their loved ones.
Images from the scene show several family members sobbing into their palms and wiping away their tears while waiting outside the building.
Haunting pictures show heavily armed gunmen climbing over turnstyles as they entered the building.
Pools of blood and a number bodies can be seen lying on the ground outside the facility in pictures from the scene.
Witnesses said that employees inside the building were taken by authorities to shelters and that no one was permitted to leave.
They said bombings may have taken place at different exits as employees were leaving work for the day.
TV station NTV reported that a group of assailants arrived at an entry to the complex in a taxi during a changing of security personnel.
The news outlet also suggested that personnel at the complex may have been taken hostage, but it was later reported that there was no hostage situation.
Video from the scene showed flames and a plume of smoke rising after explosions were heard
Ambulances drive along a road leading to the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) building, after a huge explosion at these headquarters, in Kahramankazan
Armed Turkish Gendermerie officers walk along the main throughfare in Kahramankazan, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Ankara
Police stand guard at the road leading to the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility following the attack
A helicopter circles overhead as emergency services respond to the attack in Ankara
Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Turkish counterpart at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, this evening, and offered his condolences over the deadly attack
Firefighters, medics and a helicopter arrived at the scene as reports of the horrific attack emerged.
Pictures have circulated showing a cache of weapons believed to have been found on the attackers, including grenades, suggesting that many more could have been killed in the bloody attack.
It is still not clear who was behind it. Kurdish militants, ISIS and leftist extremists have carried out attacks in the country in the past.
Mansur Yavas, the mayor of Ankara, said in a statement: ‘I am deeply saddened by the conflict and terrorist attack that occurred at the TAI facility in Ankara.
‘I wish God’s mercy upon our martyrs and a speedy recovery to our wounded. We condemn terrorism.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Turkish counterpart at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, this evening, and offered his condolences over the deadly attack.
‘We are very pleased to welcome you to Kazan, but before we begin our work I would like to express my condolences in connection with the terror attack,’ Putin said at the start of talks with President Erdogan.
The Turkish leader thanked him in return, saying ‘we have four dead in this act of terror’.
NATO have also voiced their support for Turkey following the attack.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a post on X: ‘The news of deaths and injuries in Ankara is deeply concerning.
‘As NATO, we stand by our ally Turkey. We strongly condemn all forms of terrorism and are closely following developments.’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on his X account: ‘As the United States, we stand with our ally Turkey and strongly condemn today’s terrorist attack.’
White House spokesman John Kirby offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and the Turkish people at a press briefing, saying: ‘Turkish officials said they are treating this as a terrorist attack. While we do not yet know the exact cause or who carried out the attack, we strongly condemn this act of violence.’
The blast occurred as a major trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was taking place in Istanbul which was visited this week by Ukraine’s top diplomat.
Turkey’s defence sector, which is widely known for its Bayraktar drones, accounts for nearly 80 percent of the nation’s export revenues with revenues expected to top 10.2 billion dollars in 2023.
TUSAS is one of the country’s most important defence and aviation companies.
It produces KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects, and has over 10,000 employees.
According to Turkish media, the company has recently developed attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft.
