Kurdish militants claim responsibility for deadly attack on Turkish defense firm

BAGHDAD -- A banned Kurdish militant group connected Friday claimed work for an onslaught connected nan headquarters of a cardinal defense institution successful Ankara that killed astatine slightest 5 people.

A connection from nan subject helping of nan Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, said Wednesday’s onslaught connected nan premises of nan aerospace and defense institution TUSAS was carried retired by 2 members of its alleged “Immortal Battalion” successful consequence to Turkish “massacres” and different actions successful Kurdish regions.

A man and a female stormed TUSAS’ premises connected nan outskirts of Ankara, mounting disconnected explosives and opening fire. Four TUSAS labor were killed there. The assailants arrived connected nan segment successful a taxi that they had commandeered by sidesplitting its driver. More than 20 group were injured successful nan attack.

The female assailant took her ain life by detonating an explosive instrumentality aft being injured successful an speech of occurrence astatine nan entranceway of nan complex, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The antheral attacker hurled manus grenades astatine approaching information forces, past besides detonated himself successful nan restroom of a adjacent building “realizing location was nary measurement out,” nan curate said.

Turkey blamed nan onslaught connected nan PKK and instantly launched a bid of aerial strikes connected locations and accommodation suspected to beryllium utilized by nan militant group successful bluish Iraq aliases by its affiliates successful bluish Syria.

The onslaught connected TUSAS came astatine a clip of increasing signs of a imaginable caller effort astatine speech to extremity nan much than four-decade-old conflict betwixt nan PKK and Turkey's military.

Earlier this week, nan leader of Turkey’s far-right nationalist statement that’s allied pinch President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised nan anticipation that Abdullah Ocalan, nan PKK’s imprisoned leader, could beryllium granted parole if he renounces unit and disbands his organization.

Ocalan, who is serving a life condemnation connected a situation land disconnected Istanbul, said successful a connection conveyed by his nephew connected Thursday that he was fresh to activity for peace.

The PKK's subject wing, nan People’s Defense Center, said, however, that nan onslaught was not related to nan latest “political agenda,” insisting it was planned agelong before.

It said TUSAS was chosen arsenic a target because weapons produced location “killed thousands of civilians, including children and women, successful Kurdistan.”

TUSAS designs, manufactures and assembles civilian and subject aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and different defense manufacture and abstraction systems. Its defense systems person been credited arsenic cardinal to Turkey gaining an precocious manus successful its conflict against Kurdish militants.

On Friday, an Iraqi information charismatic said Turkish warplanes intensified their airstrikes connected sites belonging to nan PKK and different loyal forces successful bluish Iraq’s Sinjar district. The intensive bombing targeted tunnels, office and subject points of nan PKK and nan Sinjar Protection Units wrong nan Sinjar Mountain area.

A section charismatic and a information charismatic said nan bombings killed 5 Yazidis. The officials said connected information of anonymity successful statement pinch regulations.

The Turkish defense ministry said 34 alleged PKK targets including caves, shelters, depots and different accommodation were deed successful an aerial cognition overnight. Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said drones operated by nan nationalist intelligence agency person struck 120 suspected sites since Wednesday’s attack.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Thursday that nan Turkish warplanes and drones struck bakeries, a powerfulness station, lipid accommodation and section constabulary checkpoints. At slightest 12 civilians were killed and 25 others were wounded.

The People's Defense Center connection claimed location were nary casualties among PKK fighters successful nan airstrikes.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a group of journalists connected his return from a travel to Russia precocious Thursday that nan 2 TUSAS assailants had infiltrated from Syria, but did not supply details.

Addressing a defense manufacture adjacent successful Istanbul connected Friday, he said Turkey was wished to stamp retired nan militant group.

“Although our symptom is awesome because of our martyrs, our determination to conflict against nan scoundrels is overmuch greater,” Erdogan said. “We will proceed to crush those who deliberation they tin make america measurement backmost pinch specified treachery.”

On Friday, Turkish constabulary detained 176 suspected PKK members successful operations crossed Turkey, nan Interior Ministry said.

Police besides detained a man who hurled rocks astatine nan entranceway of nan office of Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, DEM, Anadolu reported. DEM statement spokeswoman Aysegul Dogan said connected nan media level X that nan entranceway doorway and windows were surgery successful nan attack.

The PKK has been fighting for autonomy successful southeastern Turkey successful a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of group since nan 1980s. It is considered a violent group by Turkey and its Western allies.

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Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara, Turkey.