Turkey: All Kurdish Militant Facilities in Syria and Iraq Are Our Legal Targets

The Turkish government announced that all facilities of Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq are legitimate military targets after discovering that two attackers who detonated a bomb near a government building in Ankara over the weekend had come from Syria. This week, the Turkish army has conducted several airstrikes in northern Iraq and arrested dozens on suspicion of links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the attackers entered Turkey through Syria and received training there. He said Turkey's response to the bombers would be 'very precise.' Fidan remarked, 'All infrastructure, above-ground, and energy facilities belonging to the PKK and the People's Protection Units, especially in Iraq and Syria, are now legitimate targets for our security forces, armed forces, and intelligence units.' In recent years, Turkey has carried out several cross-border incursions into northern Syria, targeting the so-called People's Protection Units, which it considers affiliated with the PKK. On the other hand, the People's Protection Units are the main ally of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. U.S. and allied support, including from France, for the People's Protection Units has strained relations with Ankara. Fidan, in a clear reference to American, Russian, and French forces in the region, advised, 'I recommend that third parties stay away from the facilities and personnel belonging to the PKK and the People's Protection Units.' Turkey's attack on PKK positions in northern Iraq; 20 people were arrested in Istanbul and several other cities. An explosion near the Turkish parliament; the Turkish army's attack on PKK positions in northern Iraq. A suicide explosion in front of the Turkish Ministry of Interior injured two police officers.