The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that airstrikes carried out in northern Iraq late Sunday night "neutralized" many Kurdish militants and destroyed their warehouses and hideouts, following hours after a Kurdish group claimed responsibility for a bombing attack in Ankara.
Two assailants detonated a bomb near government buildings in the Turkish capital on Sunday morning. Both attackers were killed, and two police officers were injured. The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the attack.
The ministry stated: "A total of 20 targets, including caves, hideouts, shelters, and warehouses used by the terrorist separatist organization, were destroyed," adding that the operation resulted in the "neutralization" of many militants, a term typically used to refer to killings.
The ministry noted that the operations took place in the areas of Metina, Hakurk, Qandil, and Gara in northern Iraq at 9 PM on Sunday (18:00 GMT), and all measures were taken to avoid harm to civilians and the environment.
On Sunday, footage captured by surveillance cameras obtained by Reuters showed a vehicle stopping at the main gate of the Ministry of Interior before one of its occupants rushed towards the building on foot, causing the explosion while the other remained in the street.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya pointed out that the blast resulted in the death of one assailant, while authorities killed the other attacker. The attack occurred in a central Ankara neighborhood that includes ministerial buildings near the parliament, just before the start of the new parliamentary session. This is the first attack of this scale in the capital in years.
The Firat news agency, which is close to the PKK, reported that the party stated in a statement that a group from its "Immortal" battalion carried out the attack. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.
