One day after 37 people were killed as a result of a auto bomb that exploded in Ankara, Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant camps in northern Iraq.
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The bombing was the second such attack in the administrative heart of the city in under a month and two senior security officials said that initial findings suggested the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group was responsible.
The Turkish military released a statement Monday confirming 18 strikes using 11 aircraft targeted PKK ammunition depots, shelters and various other targets that had been recently discovered.
A top militant from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has warned the Turkish government to expect payback for the ongoing military offensive in the southeastern Kurdish-majority regions.
The group has waged a violent campaign since the 1980s – including a brief lull – in its quest for greater autonomy in Turkey’s Kurdish heartland. Security sources say an earlier attack on February 17 used the same kind of explosives as those seen in this latest atrocity. Meanwhile, Turkey has renewed its bombardment of Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, reports the state-run Andalou news agency. A possible male accomplice, who was also killed, has not yet been identified. Many local people fled in anticipation of operations against Kurdish militants. Anadolu said an operation in Nusaybin, on the border with Syria, began Monday, while tanks were deployed for another operation in the town of Yuksekova, near the border with Iraq.
The Turkish military also denied a claim by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said Turkey’s military was entrenched a few hundred meters (yards) inside Syria to prevent Kurdish groups from strengthening their positions. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said: “We reaffirm our strong partnership with our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally Turkey in combating the shared threat of terrorism”. The Health Minister told reporters that of the 71 people being treated in the hospital, 15 were in serious condition. Some towns in the area have been placed under curfew.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a visit Tuesday to Baku, his office said, adding that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev would instead travel to Ankara in a show of solidarity.
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Istanbul football club Galatasaray confirmed the father of their striker, Umut Bulut, had been killed in the explosion after he watched his son play against Genclerbirligi on Sunday. (AP Photo) People carry a person wounded in an explosion in Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, March 13, 2016.
