In the middle of Turkey’s capital city of Ankara on Sunday afternoon, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device as reports circulated that a second attacker had been slain in a shootout with police. The security CCTV footage shows that a man exited his vehicle in front of the ministry and dashed toward the entrance before blowing himself with a bomb. Parliament was ready to reconvene after a three-month summer holiday with a speech from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the tragic event occurred.
Previous sightings of bomb squads at the location, which is adjacent to the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other official buildings, were seen operating beside a vehicle. Police stepped up security and blocked entry to the city center of Ankara owing to the tense situation there. Near the truck, a rocket launcher was observed. The general population has been advised to stay indoors while an investigation of suspicious objects is taking place.
The attack was fully captured on tape, and it was revealed that the attackers had arrived at the area in a commercial vehicle before running toward the Ministry of Interior Affair where one bomber blow himself up, injuring two police officers. The first person had exploded the device close to the guards, while the other person was shot in the head before he could detonate the bomb.
After the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in the capital city, the Turkish military launched airstrikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. According to a statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry, its warplanes successfully destroyed 20 PKK targets, including caves, bunkers, shelters, and warehouses in various regions like Metina, Haku.
The Kurdish population in Turkey constitutes approximately 15% to 20% of the country’s total population, yet they lack a recognized homeland within Turkey’s borders. Instead, significant Kurdish communities reside in regions such as Iran’s Kurdistan province and Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) territory. Despite the absence of a sovereign Kurdish state, Kurds in these areas maintain a distinct cultural identity and, in some cases, aspire for greater autonomy or independence.
One of the longstanding challenges in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority regions is the presence and activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish separatist group deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. The PKK has been engaged in a protracted armed struggle against the Turkish state since the late 1970s, seeking greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey, including autonomy or independence.
Turkey has accused the PKK of operating training camps and launching attacks from bases in northern Iraq and Syria. The mountainous terrain along the Turkey-Iraq border has historically provided a strategic sanctuary for PKK militants, enabling them to conduct cross-border operations and evade Turkish security forces. Additionally, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), controls significant territory in northeastern Syria, where Turkey alleges the PKK maintains a presence.
Ankara’s concerns about the PKK’s activities in neighboring countries have led to a series of military interventions and cross-border operations by the Turkish Armed Forces. In 2019, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring into northeastern Syria with the stated aim of clearing the area of both YPG forces and ISIS militants, whom Ankara considers terrorist threats. The operation resulted in the establishment of a “safe zone” along the Turkey-Syria border, under Turkish control, aimed at preventing further YPG/PKK influence in the region.
Furthermore, Turkey has conducted numerous airstrikes and ground operations against PKK targets in northern Iraq, particularly in the Qandil Mountains, where the group’s leadership is believed to be based. These military actions have strained Turkey’s relations with both the Iraqi government and the KRG, as Baghdad and Erbil have expressed concerns about violations of Iraqi sovereignty and the potential for destabilization along the Turkey-Iraq border.
However, the Kurdish issue in Turkey goes beyond security concerns and encompasses broader socio-political grievances. Kurds have long faced discrimination and marginalization within Turkish society, including restrictions on the use of the Kurdish language, cultural suppression, and disproportionate economic development in Kurdish-majority regions. Efforts to address these grievances have been complicated by the PKK insurgency and Turkey’s broader geopolitical interests in the region.
In recent years, there have been attempts to revive peace talks between the Turkish government and Kurdish representatives, most notably during the reconciliation process initiated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government in 2013. However, these efforts have been hindered by a lack of mutual trust, internal political dynamics, and the resurgence of violence, particularly following the breakdown of ceasefire agreements.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region has enjoyed a degree of autonomy since the early 1990s, following the establishment of a no-fly zone by Western powers after the Gulf War. The KRG has its own government institutions, security forces (such as the Peshmerga), and control over natural resources, although it remains formally part of the Iraqi state. While the KRG has historically maintained close ties with Turkey, Ankara’s military actions against PKK targets in Iraqi Kurdistan have strained this relationship at times.
The situation in Syria is further complicated by the ongoing civil war and the involvement of various regional and international actors. The YPG, which forms the backbone of the SDF, has received support from the United States in the fight against ISIS, leading to tensions between Washington and Ankara, given Turkey’s designation of the YPG as a terrorist group due to its links with the PKK.
Overall, the Kurdish issue remains a deeply entrenched and complex problem with significant implications for Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and the wider region. Addressing the grievances of Kurdish communities while combating terrorism and preserving state sovereignty presents a formidable challenge for policymakers, requiring a delicate balance between security measures and political dialogue to achieve lasting peace and stability.