Turkish Airstrikes In Northern Iraq “Destroyed 20 Targets” Following Ankara Blast
Ankara, Turkey:
Turkish jets launched air strikes inside Iraqi Kurdistan late Sunday, after a blast earlier the same day injured two police officers near the parliament building in Ankara.
In the hours following the bombing, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already vowed that “terrorists” would never achieve their aims.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, claimed responsibility for the blast. It has waged a deadly insurgency against Ankara for four decades.
The Turkish parliament, which resumed as scheduled in the afternoon with an address from Erdogan, is located in the district that was the target of the explosion, along with numerous other ministries.
“The villains who threaten the tranquilly and safety of the people have not and will never succeed in achieving their goals,” Erdogan remarked.
The interior ministry reported that two assailants carried out a bomb attack in front of “the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior” at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT).
Ali Yerlikaya, the interior minister, told reporters outside the ministry that one of the terrorists detonated himself. The other was shot in the head and killed before he could blow himself up.
Although two police officers were slightly hurt during the gunfire exchange, their lives were not in danger, he continued.
The prosecutor’s office in Ankara announced that it had started an inquiry and restricted access to the area. It was requested that local media stop showing footage from the attack.
strikes in North Iraq
The PKK claimed that “a sacrificial action was carried out against the Turkish Interior Ministry” in a statement to the Kurdish movement’s affiliated ANF news agency.
An official in Iraqi Kurdistan claimed on Sunday night that Turkish army planes had been attacking the Bradost region and the village of Badran.
The PKK was “neutralised” in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish military ministry.
According to the ministry, “20 targets used by terrorists” had been destroyed.
Erdogan again criticised the European Union in his opening remarks for delaying Turkey’s application for membership, saying that Turkey “no longer expects anything from the European Union, which has kept us waiting at its door for 40 years.”
He continued, “We have kept all the promises we have made to the EU but they have kept almost none of theirs,” and he would not “tolerate any new demands or conditions” for his nation to join the organisation.
NATO bid from Sweden
Sweden’s admission to the NATO alliance must also be approved at this session of Turkey’s parliament.
Despite lifting their vetoes in July, Turkey and Hungary have been slow to ratify Sweden’s participation in the Atlantic alliance.
Erdogan stated in July that the Turkish parliament would not ratify the agreement until after October, but it is anticipated that it would be passed this legislative year.
Erdogan has been pressing Sweden to act against Koran desecrations that have soured relations between the two nations for months.
Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, quickly vowed in a statement that his nation “again confirms its commitment to long-term cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism.”
