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PKK Officially Claims Responsibility for Ankara Operation
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced its responsibility for the attack targeting the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) headquarters last Wednesday, claiming that the attack "is not related to the political agenda discussed in Turkey last month."
The attack resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to 22 others, prompting Turkey to launch airstrikes on dozens of sites in "Northern Iraq and Syria," which had reached a total of 120 locations as of Friday, according to Turkish intelligence.
The People's Defense Center (the military wing of the PKK) clarified in a statement today (October 25, 2024) that the operation "was carried out by an independent team from the Eternal Battalion" at 3:30 PM on Wednesday, October 23.
The statement announced the names of the two assailants "whose operation was planned long ago and executed successfully," identified as Mina Sevgin Çelik known as "Asia Ali," and Ali Ork known as "Rojger Helin."
It added that "the Eternal Battalion does not generally conduct operations repeatedly," but from time to time, and "instead of focusing on current agendas targeting important and strategic objectives, it carries out sacrificial operations that carry warning messages against the genocide policies, massacres, and isolation policies imposed by the Turkish government."
This announcement came after Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya revealed on his "X" platform account on Thursday the identity of one of the attackers, Ali Ork, a member of the PKK. The statement from the People's Defense Center coincided with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's declaration that the "terrorist attack" on the company "was executed by infiltrators from Syria into Turkish territory."
In statements made to reporters during his return flight from Kazan, Russia, after participating in the BRICS summit, Erdoğan said that Turkey continues its efforts to "root out terrorism," and if that involves action in Syria, "we will do what is necessary."
These rapid developments come at a time when discussions about a new operation to resolve the Kurdish issue have become the main political topic in Turkey, as Turkish officials have conveyed various messages in this context.
The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the political wing of the PKK, stated in a Thursday announcement that it is following the "process that will be developed" by the party leader Abdullah Öcalan regarding the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
Regarding the operation targeting the aerospace company in Ankara, the KCK stated: "If this operation was carried out by our forces, the People's Defense Forces will issue an appropriate statement," adding, "However, this act has absolutely nothing to do with the process that is being developed."
Earlier, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan expressed his willingness to shift the path of "conflict and violence" to a "legal and political path" for resolving the Kurdish issue in Turkey, according to a message relayed by Umar Öcalan, his nephew and a parliament member from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEVA).
Öcalan's family met with him yesterday, Wednesday, for the first time since March 20, 2020, as announced by Umar Öcalan in a post on his "X" account on Thursday (October 24, 2024).
The Turkish forces, in turn, continued to bombard areas in Rojava late last night, resulting in the death of a child and injuries to nine others, including two children. This followed airstrikes on Wednesday/Thursday night that killed 27 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
