A suicide bombing attack carried out in central Ankara on Sunday afternoon (October 1) claimed by the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) resulted in retaliatory attacks Sunday evening by the Turkish Armed Forces targeting PKK bases in northern Iraq.
The bombing, which took place just outside the Ministry of Interior in central Ankara, had been intended to coincide with the opening of the new session of the Turkish parliament on Sunday. The site of the bomb attack stands just 300 meters from the parliamentary chamber. One perpetrator died when he detonated an explosive device, while the other was killed shortly thereafter after exchanging fire with police officers. Two police officers were injured in the incident.
On Sunday evening, Turkey’s Interior Ministry announced that the identity of one of the perpetrators had been confirmed, as well as his membership in the PKK organization. Regarding the identity of the second perpetrator, the ministry announced that investigation efforts are ongoing. In the same announcement, the Interior Ministry revealed that the vehicle used in the bombing had been stolen from a citizen in the Kayseri Province before being driven to Ankara. The vehicle’s owner, who was killed in the hijacking, was revealed to be a veterinarian named Mikail Bozlağan. Materials such as nearly 10 kilograms of RDX explosive, hand grenades, two handguns, two rifles, and a rocket launcher were found at the scene with the stolen vehicle.
Several hours after the bombing, Turkish warplanes carried out strikes on PKK targets located in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, caves, shelters, and depots belonging to the group were targeted in the areas of Gara, Hakurk, Metina, and Qandil.
The political situation regarding Turkey’s repeated targeting of PKK bases in Iraq over the years has resulted in tensions between Ankara and Baghdad. Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid, himself of Kurdish background, said in a recent interview that his government does not accept the Turkish strikes or the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq and hopes to resolve this issue with Ankara. Rashid is known for his hawkish views towards Turkish military operations within Iraq. In April, the president condemned an alleged Turkish strike against PKK targets near the Sulaymaniyah airport in northern Iraq, while Turkey denied involvement.
Turkey’s military presence in northern Iraq dates back to the 1990s, during a period of major civilian unrest in southeastern Anatolia between PKK militants and government forces. Despite several agreements between Iraqi and Turkish governments, Turkish strikes on Kurdish targets in the north of the country have been repeatedly condemned by Baghdad in recent years. A military operation named ‘Operation Claw Lock’ carried out in 2022 in the area by the Turkish Armed Forces was criticized by Baghdad as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. The group’s longtime leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured by Turkish government officials in 1999 and has since been imprisoned at the Imralı prison in the Sea of Marmara. Turkey’s relationship with its Kurdish minority– estimated to constitute some 15-20% of Turkey’s population– continues to be one of the country’s most sensitive and controversial political topics. Various measures such as the imprisonment of Kurdish politicians, closure of Kurdish political parties, and limiting the use of the Kurdish language have all been subjects of criticism over the years from both in and outside Turkey. Ankara has justified its actions as fighting separatism and terrorism. In 2013, as a part of a temporary ceasefire agreement, the PKK announced the withdrawal of its militants from Turkey to bases in Northern Iraq. In the time since, the region has been a major target for Turkish forces, while the term ‘Qandil’, the name of a high mountain range on the Iran-Iraq border, has become shorthand in Turkish politics used to refer to the PKK.
Written for Medyascope by Leo Kendirck
