ANKARA: Turkish air forces destroyed 58 targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq since the Kurdish militant group claimed responsibility for a bomb attack near government buildings in Ankara on Sunday.
The third operation, conducted after the aforementioned bombing, took place on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) in the Metina, Hakurk, Gara, Qandil, and Asos regions of northern Iraq. According to Turkey’s defence ministry, numerous PKK militants were “neutralized,” a term commonly used to signify their elimination.
On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan asserted that all facilities linked to the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in Iraq and Syria are considered “legitimate targets.”
Reports from Turkish media indicate that Iraqi Defence Minister Thabet al-Abbasi is scheduled to visit Ankara on Thursday to hold discussions with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler.
The backdrop for these actions is a bomb attack near government buildings in Ankara on Sunday, carried out by two attackers who detonated a bomb, resulting in the deaths of both assailants and injuries to two police officers.
