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Kurdistan
Turkish soldiers participating in an anti-PKK operation in Hakkari province, near the border with Kurdistan Region on May 28, 2018. Photo: Anadolu Agency
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey on Sunday night launched retaliatory aerial strikes targeting suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the Kurdistan Region, hours after the group attacked the Turkish capital’s general security directorate.
The Turkish defense ministry announced in a statement that it carried out airstrikes on 20 suspected PKK positions in the Metina, Khakurk, Gara, and Qandil regions of the Kurdistan Region, claiming to have destroyed shelters, depots, and caves belonging to the group.
It justified the attacks by saying they were in line with “the right of self defense” within Article 15 of the Charter of the United Nations.
The strikes came hours after two police officers were slightly wounded in an attack on Ankara’s general security directorate. One of the attackers blew himself up while the other was “neutralized,” according to the Turkish interior minister.
The PKK claimed responsibility for the attack, near the Turkish parliament and ministerial buildings in Ankara. The main boulevard near the entrance of the parliament building was closed to traffic due to the explosion.
“This action is an act of legitimate defense against the disregard of human rights that are being trampled on against national and international laws; against the inhumane practice and policy of isolation that is being implemented in all the jails of Turkey and Kurdistan,” read the HPG statement,” the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the military arm of the PKK, said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled the attack as “the last struggle of terrorism.”
Following a parliament meeting, Erdogan said on X that his country is preparing to “extend its military successes,” hinting at further cross-border operations against the PKK and its alleged offshoots in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.
“Our new steps are a matter of preparation, time, and environment. For this reason, we say that the words ‘we may suddenly come one night’ should always be heard,” he said.
The PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Iraq’s four presidencies – the prime minister, president, parliament speaker, and head of judiciary – rejected all violations of Iraqi sovereignty an hour after Turkey’s strikes.
They “firmly rejected any aggression directed at Iraqi territory, emphasizing that such actions run counter to principles of good neighborliness and pose a threat to security and stability both within Iraq and in the wider region,” said a statement from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s office.
They instead called for dialogue and mutual understanding to resolve the issues.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) condemned the attack on Ankara, labeling it as a “terrorist” attack.
“The KRG reaffirms its steadfast commitment to combating all forms of terrorism and extremism, urging the international community to enhance collaboration and coordination in the fight against terrorism, its ideologies, and related activities,” spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani said in a statement.
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