In a troubling escalation of violence, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has taken credit for a deadly shooting and suicide bombing at a Turkish defense company that killed five people last week. In a statement on their Telegram channel, the militant group said the attack in Ankara on October 22nd was carried out by members of their “Immortals Battalion” as retaliation for Turkey’s ongoing military operations against PKK bases in northern Iraq and Syria.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and vowed there would be no tolerance for terrorist acts on Turkish soil. Overnight air strikes were carried out targeting PKK positions across the border. A monitoring group reported at least 27 civilians were killed in the retaliatory bombings that hit civilian infrastructure like power networks.
The PKK has waged a separatist insurgency since 1984 but a fragile peace process had begun in 2013 after jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan called for layin down of arms. However, violence has flared up again in recent years as peace talks stalled. There were signs negotiations may resume after the pro-Kurdish opposition party said Ocalan had his first family visit in two years just before the Ankara attack. But the bombing has put more distance between the sides for now in their long-running conflict.
