The Ministry of Defense of Türkiye reported this Thursday that 59 members of the armed group of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) died in the bombings launched in recent hours in northern Iraq and Syria, in response to an attack on the outskirts of Ankara that left five dead. .
“According to initial data, 59 terrorists, including two high-ranking members, were neutralized in air operations carried out in northern Iraq and Syria, where 47 terrorist targets were hit since last night.“, indicated the ministerial statement.
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The bombings were in retaliation for the terrorist attack against the facilities of the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TUSAŞ) in Ankara, which occurred on Wednesday at noon, which left five dead and 22 injured.
The two attackers, a man and a woman, were killed after confronting security forces, and Turkish authorities have identified them as members of the PKK, an armed group that has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to a statement from the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara considers an affiliate of the PKK, at least twelve people were killed, including two children, and twenty-five were injured in Turkish bombings in Syria.
The PKK, considered terrorist by Türkiye, the US and the European Union, began an armed struggle in 1983 to achieve autonomy for the Kurds living in Türkiye.
Since then, more than 45,000 people have been killed in clashes between the PKK and Turkish security forces.
Currently, the PKK has its main base in northern Iraq, where Türkiye often attacks with frequent air raids and cross-border operations.
