Ankara: The Turkish military carried out airstrikes against the Syrian Kurdish Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria for the second time after a suicidal bomb attack in Ankara over the weekend, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said.
Air operations were carried out against YPG targets in the northern region of Syria, the Ministry said on Friday in a statement.
The airstrikes targeted “headquarters,” shelters and warehouses, which were considered to contain “terrorists,” and 15 targets were destroyed, according to the statement.
The operations came after a suicidal bomb attack in Ankara on Sunday, which targeted the entrance of the Turkish Interior Ministry building, leaving two assailants dead and two police officers wounded.
The Turkish Interior Ministry said the two attackers were identified as members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and came from Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on Wednesday that all PKK and the YPG infrastructure and energy facilities in Syria and Iraq were now “legitimate targets” for the Turkish military.
Turkey sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the PKK.
The Turkish Army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria in order to create a YPG-free zone along its border within the neighbouring country.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
This post was last modified on October 7, 2023 9:35 am