On Thursday, Turkey carried out attacks for the second consecutive day against suspected Kurdish insurgent targets in Syria and Iraq, following an attack in Ankara that killed at least five people. The National Intelligence Organization targeted strategic locations of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish militia affiliated with the insurgents.
The attackers were killed, and more than 20 people were injured. In Syria, a U.S.-backed group reported that the Turkish offensive in the north of the country resulted in the deaths of 12 civilians and injured 25 more. Turkish warplanes and drones attacked bakeries, power plants, oil facilities, and local police checkpoints, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
TUSAS, the targeted company, designs, manufactures, and assembles civil and military aircraft, as well as drones and defense systems. A security official revealed that armed drones were used in Thursday's operation. The air campaign destroyed over 30 targets, including military, intelligence, energy, and infrastructure facilities, as well as weapon depots.
The attack occurred after accusations from Ankara pointing to the PKK for the deadly attack at TUSAS headquarters. The group, led by Abdullah Ocalan, has been involved in a decades-long conflict seeking autonomy in southeastern Turkey. The leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party raised the possibility that Ocalan could get parole if he renounces violence and disbands his organization.
Armed with assault rifles, explosives, and gunfire, the attackers killed four people at TUSAS facilities, including a security guard and a mechanical engineer. Security teams responded immediately to the attack that started around 3:30 PM, stated the Ministry of the Interior. Additionally, it was reported that among the attacked targets were military, intelligence, energy, infrastructure facilities, and weapon depots.
