PKK claims responsibility for terror attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for a terror attack on a Turkish defence firm this week, confirming accusations by the Turkish government.

On Wednesday this week, militants attacked the campus of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) – the state-run defence company which designs and manufactures civilian and military aircraft, drones, and other aerial defence systems – near the capital Ankara with automatic rifles and explosives, killing five people and wounding 22.

Following the attack, the Turkish government asserted that it was carried out by the designated terror group the PKK, alleging that there was significant proof of the motives, with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the perpetrators “infiltrated Turkiye from Syria” and pledging to “eradicate terrorism at its source”.

Ankara’s accusations were then confirmed by the group itself, which stated on Telegram on Friday that the militants’ “act of sacrifice” at the TUSAS campus “was carried out by a team of the immortals battalion” from the PKK. It emphasised, however, that the operation was carried out by an autonomous unit, and that it was not connected to the recent emergence of talks between the PKK and the Turkish government.

In retaliation for the terror attack, the Turkish military this week carried out strikes against various sites used by the PKK in northern Iraq, targeting facilities such as shelters and warehouses.

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