According to a statement from the Turkish defense ministry, “A total of 32 targets belonging to the terrorists were successfully destroyed” in the retaliatory attack. Turkey’s government claims that its military hit sites in Iraq and Syria connected to Kurdish militant group the PKK on Wednesday night after accusing it of carrying out an attack near Ankara that left at least five people dead. Several videos from the attack earlier on Wednesday show at least two individuals firing guns around the entrance of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which is located about 40 km (25 miles) outside the capital.
The attack on TAI was described as “heinous” by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a post on X.
The PKK was most certainly engaged in the attack, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya claimed, adding that two attackers, a man and a woman, had been “neutralized.”
Since the 1980s, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is prohibited as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the US, and the UK, has fought for the rights of the country’s sizable Kurdish minority against the Turkish government.
According to Turkish Vice-President Cevdet Yilmaz, a taxi driver was the fifth victim, while four of the dead were TAI employees.
The cab driver was killed by the attackers before they stole his car to carry out the attack, according to earlier reports in the local media.
The explosion occurred near the time of a shift change, and staff had to be directed to shelters, they said.
In remarks that were broadcast live on television, President Erdogan, who is in Russia for the Brexit summit, denounced what he called a “vile terror attack” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He later posted a lengthy statement on X, declaring that “no terrorist organization, no evil focus targeting our security will be able to achieve their goals.” Turkish authorities have imposed a media blackout on details of the attack, and users in large parts of the country have reported not being able to use social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
A major force in Turkey’s aerospace sector, TAI designs, develops, and produces a range of aircraft for both military and commercial applications.
It is the business that the NATO member has chosen to be the authorized manufacturer of the F-16 fighter jets, which are designed in the United States. TAI also contributes to the modernization of obsolete aircraft for the Turkish military.
The Turkish Armed Forces and a civilian branch of the Turkish government tasked with enhancing defense capabilities and overseeing military procurement are the company’s two main owners.
The explosion happened at a significant trade show for the aerospace and defense sectors that was taking place in Istanbul this week.
(BBC)
