On Wednesday, October 23, two armed militants ambushed the headquarters of Turkey’s government aerospace company, resulting in five dead and twenty-two injured. The attack was labeled as a “terrorist attack” by the Turkish government, and both assailants were killed.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (P.K.K.), is a clandestine militant organization and guerilla faction engaged in a long-standing conflict with the Turkish state. Since the 1980s, it has been advocating for autonomy for the Kurdish minority in Turkey. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths from both the group’s attacks and Turkish military operations in affected areas. Nations such as Turkey, the United States, and several others classify the P.K.K. as a terrorist organization.
After security footage of the assailants was posted on social media on Friday, October 25, the group claimed responsibility for the attack. In response, the Turkish government launched airstrikes on locations it alleged were associated with the group and its affiliates in neighboring countries of Iraq and Syria. On Thursday, the P.K.K. reported that the strikes in Syria hit both infrastructure and security forces, resulting in twelve fatalities, including two children.
The attackers, a man, and a woman, detonated an explosion on Wednesday afternoon at the entrance of the Turkish Aerospace Industries industrial complex in Kahramankazan, 25 miles north of the Turkish capital city of Ankara. After the start of the initial attack, Turkish authorities quickly secured the area, imposed restrictions on media reporting, and deployed special forces, according to The New York Times. Later that day, Turkish officials confirmed the deaths of the two attackers but limited further details. Originally, the mayor of the district claimed that hostages had been taken inside the complex, but the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya later disregarded this statement, again, without additional information. Those who lost their lives in the attack included a taxi driver, a security guard, an engineer, and two other employees of the aerospace company, with their funerals taking place in Ankara the following day.
In an interview with ABC News, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commented on how he was deeply concerned by the attack. “NATO stands with our Ally Turkey. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and are monitoring developments closely.”. From the United States, White House national security spokesman John Kirby also condemned the attack. “Our prayers are with all of those affected and their families and, of course, also the people of Turkey at this very difficult time,” according to ABC News.
Previously, the Turkish government has attempted peace talks to resolve the rebellion, but little progress has been made. However, last week a political ally of the President of the Turkish Republic, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, proposed that Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the P.K.K. who is currently serving a life sentence, could be released only if he addresses the Turkish Parliament to capitulate the uprising and dissolve the group. On October 24, Ocalan’s nephew and a member of Parliament, Omer Ocalan, a member of Parliament, reported that he had visited his uncle the day of the attack, marking the first visit of an outside party to the leader in 43 months.
These developments indicate that the Turkish government and Erdogan may be considering initial steps to end the conflict. However, it is uncertain whether formal peace talks will ensue or how Wednesday’s attack might impact the position between the two forces.
