Turkey strikes Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq for a second day

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey struck suspected Kurdish militant targets successful Syria and Iraq for a 2nd time connected Thursday pursuing an attack connected nan premises of a cardinal defense company that killed astatine slightest 5 people, nan state-run news agency reported.

The National Intelligence Organization targeted galore “strategic locations” utilized by nan Kurdistan Workers’ Party — nan PKK — aliases by Syrian Kurdish militia that are affiliated pinch nan militants, nan Anadolu Agency reported. The targets included military, intelligence, power and infrastructure accommodation and ammunition depots, nan study said. A information charismatic said equipped drones were utilized successful Thursday’s strikes.

On Wednesday, Turkey's aerial unit carried retired airstrikes against akin targets successful bluish Syria and bluish Iraq, hours aft authorities officials blamed nan deadly onslaught astatine nan office of nan aerospace and defense institution TUSAS, connected nan PKK.

Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Thursday that 47 alleged PKK targets were destroyed successful Wednesday’s airstrikes — 29 successful Iraq and 18 successful Syria.

“Our noble federation should remainder assured that we will proceed pinch expanding determination our struggle to destruct nan evil forces that frighten nan information and bid of our state and group until nan past violent disappears from this geography,” Guler said.

The assailants — a man and a female — arrived astatine nan TUSAS premises connected nan outskirts of Ankara successful a taxi they commandeered aft sidesplitting its driver, reports said. Armed pinch battle rifles, they group disconnected explosives and opened fire, sidesplitting 4 group astatine TUSAS, including a information defender and a mechanical engineer.

Security teams were dispatched arsenic soon arsenic nan onslaught started astatine astir 3:30 pm, nan interior curate said. The 2 assailants were besides killed and much than 20 group were injured successful nan attack.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya named nan assailants arsenic Mine Sevjin Alcicek and Ali Orek and identified them arsenic PKK members.

There was nary contiguous connection from nan PKK connected nan onslaught aliases nan Turkish airstrikes.

In Syria, nan main U.S.-backed unit said Turkish strikes successful nan northbound of nan state killed 12 civilians and wounded 25.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish warplanes and drones struck bakeries, powerfulness stations, lipid accommodation and section constabulary checkpoints.

Amir Samu, an administrator astatine nan al Swediya lipid refinery successful Derik, bluish Syria, said overnight strikes astatine nan installation resulted successful nan deaths of 7 workers and guards.

“They were each mediocre workers moving successful nan refinery to make a living. It is simply a civilian institution, not subject aliases thing for illustration that,” he said.

Samu stated that al Swediya was nan only refinery “feeding” nan area. “The harm will person effects connected diesel, petrol and gas,” he said.

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.

The onslaught occurred a time aft nan leader of Turkey’s far-right nationalist statement that’s allied pinch President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised nan anticipation that nan PKK’s imprisoned leader could beryllium granted parole if he renounces unit and disbands his organization.

Abdullah Ocalan, who was captured successful 1999, is serving a life condemnation connected a situation land disconnected Istanbul.

In a related development, his nephew Omer Ocalan announced connected nan societal level X that connected Wednesday family members were allowed to sojourn him for nan first clip since March 2020.

Omer Ocalan, a lawmaker from Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, besides conveyed a connection from Abdullah Ocalan, saying he was being kept successful isolation and offering to activity to extremity nan conflict “if nan conditions are right.”

"I person nan theoretical and applicable powerfulness to (transform) this process from 1 grounded successful conflict and unit to 1 that is grounded connected rule and politics,” Omer Ocalan quoted his uncle arsenic saying.

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.

On Thursday, ample crowds gathered successful nan courtyard of a mosque successful Ankara to return portion successful nan ceremonial prayers for 3 of nan victims, including Zahide Guclu — an technologist who was portion of a TUSAS chopper project. She was killed by nan assailants aft she had gone to nan entranceway of nan analyzable to cod flowers sent by her husband.

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Associated Press reporters Bassem Mroue successful Beirut and Hogir Abdo successful Derik, Syria contributed.