Two attackers, one of whom was a woman, killed five people and injured 22 others in a “terrorist attack” on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters near Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Witnesses reported explosions and gunfire during the assault, which the Turkish authorities categorize as an act of terrorism.
Yerlikaya confirmed that both attackers were killed and that two of the injured were in critical condition.
“Sadly, we have five martyrs and 22 wounded. Three of the injured have been discharged, while 19 remain under medical care,” he said on Wednesday.
The minister suggested that the suspects may have been affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), due to similarities in the method employed. An ongoing investigation into the incident is underway to uncover the identities of the perpetrators and their motives.
In retaliation, Turkey’s Air Force launched airstrikes targeting PKK positions in northern Iraq and Syria, destroying 32 sites and eliminating multiple PKK members, according to the Ministry of Defense. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan was in Kazan for a BRICS conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he condemned the attack and received condolences from Putin. NATO, the U.S., and the EU also denounced the incident.