The deadly terrorist attack involving militants setting off explosives and opening fire on Wednesday at Turkey's state-run aerospace and defence company TUSAS, has been blamed on Kurdish militants, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. According to the Associated Press, at least five people were killed in the attack while over a dozen were wounded.
Commenting on the incident, Yerlikaya said the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK has been held accountable for the while maintaining that the process of identifying the assailants continued. Besides the Interior Minister, Defence Minister Yasar Guler also pointed the finger at the PKK.
“We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses,” Guler said. “We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”
The politics behind the attack
The deadly attack on Wednesday occurred a day after the leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party, an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hinted at possibility that the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan could be granted parole upon renouncing violence and disbanding his organisation.
Ocalan's PKK, which has been considered a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, has been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people since the 1980s. Condemning the attack, Turkey's pro-Kurdish political party noted that it had occurred at a time when the possibility of a dialogue to end the conflict had emerged.
About the attack: Key points
As per media reports, the assailants were seen entering the TUSAS complex in a taxi carrying assault weapons. What first caused panic among the people was the detonation of an explosive device next to the taxi. A security camera captured a man in plainclothes carrying a backpack and holding an assault rifle.
Minister Yerlikaya later confirmed that two attackers - one man and one woman - were killed. “I condemn this heinous attack. Our fight will continue with determination and determination until the last terrorist is neutralized. May God have mercy on our martyrs. I wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” he said.
Elaboarting the incident, Orhan Akdundar, a brother of one the TUSAS employees said, “I called my brother who was inside and said, What happened?' adding that the bomb had exploded and said that gunshots continued for a very long time.
“There was a huge commotion. The gendarmerie, special forces and other security forces were all here. There were lots of ambulances. Then the phones shut off and I wasn't able to establish communication”, he added
According to the DHA news agency, multiple rounds of gunshots were heard after security forces entered the site. Authorities issued a temporary blackout on the coverage of the attack and went on to throttle access to social media websites.
The interior minister said security teams were dispatched as soon as the attack started at around 3:30 p.m.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said the target of the attack was Turkiye's “success in the defence industry”.
The Iraqi embassy in Ankara issued a statement condemning the attack. It said the embassy “affirms Iraq's firm position in rejecting terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and expresses the solidarity of Iraq's government and people, with the government and people of the Republic of Turkiye”. Earlier this year, Iraq announced a ban on the PKK.
TUSAS: The defence company
The defence company TUSAS was established in 1973 under the Ministry of Industry and Technology with a an aim to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign defense supplies.
It is known for designing, manufacturing and assembles civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) and other defense industry and space systems.
Earlier, the UAVs manufactured by TUSAS have been instrumental in Turkiye gaining the upper hand in its fight against Kurdish militants both on its own territory and across the border in Iraq.
Turkey's retaliation: Jets target Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria
In a retaliation to the deadly attack, several Turkish jets have been deployed to strike Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria, Turkey's defense ministry said. According to the ministry, over 30 targets were “destroyed” in the aerial offensive.
The strike comes after suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire Wednesday at Turkey's state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen, the interior minister said.
UN, Putin condemn attack
Reacting to the development, Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a BRICS meeting said, "I condemn this heinous terrorist attack.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations “stands in solidarity” with the people and government of Turkiye, according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also denounced the attack. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims”, he said on X.
