ANKARA, Turkey
Turkish forces have conducted new air strikes in northern Iraq and destroyed 16 targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), its Ministry of National Defence says.
The operations were conducted
in the Metina, Gara, Hakurk, Qandil and Asos regions at 8pm (17:00 GMT) on
Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that every measure was taken to avoid harm
to civilians and the environment.
Two attackers detonated
a bomb in front of Turkish government buildings in Ankara on Sunday, leaving
both of them dead and two police officers wounded.
The PKK claimed responsibility
for the attack, prompting Turkish strikes on the group’s targets in northern
Iraq later on Sunday.
The PKK, listed as a “terrorist
group” by Turkey and its Western allies, has been waging attacks since
1984, killing tens of thousands of people.
A series of successive Turkish
military operations has pushed the group back into neighbouring Iraq.
The PKK
attack on Sunday coincided with the opening of Turkey’s parliament
session, during which lawmakers will be asked to ratify Sweden’s membership in
the NATO military alliance.
Turkey’s ratification has been
held up by its anger over the refusal by the Swedish police to ban marches by
the PKK and their supporters in Stockholm.
Some analysts believe the PKK
may be trying to block the ratification because it would herald an improvement
in Turkey’s tense ties with the United States.
Turkey is also trying to get
the US to drop its support for Kurdish fighters from the YPG group in Syria, a
policy shift Ankara may expect in return for its ratification.
Washington relied on the YPG
to fight the ISIL (ISIS) group in the region. But Ankara views the YPG as a
sister organisation of the PKK.
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