Turkish fighter jets launched airstrikes today against Kurdish militant bases in northern Syria and northern Iraq, destroying 89 targets, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, in retaliation for a bombing in Istanbul that killed eight people a week ago.
The strikes targeted bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG)—which Turkey claims is an offshoot of the PKK—the ministry added in a statement.
Ankara accuses Kurdish militants of the explosion on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul on November 13 that killed six people and injured at least 80. No organization has claimed responsibility for the explosion on the busy pedestrian boulevard, and both the PKK and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have denied any involvement.
“It’s time to settle the score with Istiklal,” Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter today.
Turkish airstrikes were carried out in Qandil, Asos, and Hakurk in Iraq, as well as in Kobani, Tal Rifat, Cizre, and Derik in Syria, the Ministry of Defense reported.
The 89 targets that were destroyed included hideouts, tunnels, and ammunition depots, he said, adding that “many terrorists were neutralized,” including the “so-called leaders of the terrorist organization.”.
A spokesperson for the SDF stated that the Turkish strikes destroyed infrastructure, including grain silos, a power plant, and a hospital. Eleven civilians, one SDF fighter, and two guards were killed, said Farhad Sami, head of the SDF media center, on Twitter.
In a statement, the SDD said they would retaliate. “These attacks by the Turkish occupying forces will not go unanswered,” they said.
Eight members of the security forces, including seven police officers, were injured as a result of a rocket attack launched by the YPG from Tal Rifat, Syria, on a police outpost near a border gate in the Kilis province of Turkey, the Interior Ministry reported.
In a separate development, a Syrian military source told the state news agency SANA that a number of armed forces personnel were killed in the “Turkish attack on Syrian territory” this morning, in rural areas near Aleppo and Hasakah.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated in a statement released this morning that all necessary measures have been taken to prevent harm to innocent people and the surroundingsurrounding area, adding that “only terrorists and facilities belonging to terrorists are being targeted.”.
“The Turkish Armed Forces once again had the terrorists in their grip,” he said, naming the operation “Curved Sword.”.
The Ministry of Defense stated that this was the first time it had launched an airstrike on Kobani.
Referring to the airstrikes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told the TASS news agency that Moscow supports “negotiated solutions,”,
Moscow supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the war that broke out in 2011, while Ankara supported the rebels fighting to overthrow him.
Turkey has invaded northern Syria three times so far to attack the YPG militia. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that Turkey may carry out another operation against the YPG. Ankara has also escalated its drone strikes in Syria in recent months, resulting in the deaths of a number of key SDF officials.
Ankara regularly conducts airstrikes in northern Iraq and has sent commandos to support its attacks against the PKK.
The PKK has been waging an armed struggle against the Turkish state since 1984. It is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
Washington has allied itself with the YPG in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, causing a rift with Turkey, a NATO ally.
Anadolu reported that a Turkish court remanded two more people into custody today in connection with last Sunday’s bombing, following the 17 who were arrested last week. Bulgarian prosecutors have filed charges against five people for aiding in the attack.
