Türkiye Steps Up Strikes on PKK in Iraq, Syria after Ankara Attack

Members of Turkish Police Special Forces secure the area near the Interior Ministry following a bomb attack in Ankara, on October 1, 2023, leaving two police officers injured. (AFP)
Members of Turkish Police Special Forces secure the area near the Interior Ministry following a bomb attack in Ankara, on October 1, 2023, leaving two police officers injured. (AFP)
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Türkiye Steps Up Strikes on PKK in Iraq, Syria after Ankara Attack

Members of Turkish Police Special Forces secure the area near the Interior Ministry following a bomb attack in Ankara, on October 1, 2023, leaving two police officers injured. (AFP)
Members of Turkish Police Special Forces secure the area near the Interior Ministry following a bomb attack in Ankara, on October 1, 2023, leaving two police officers injured. (AFP)

Türkiye launched fresh airstrikes on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Syria and Iraq overnight, killing 59 militants, in response to a gun attack that killed five people in Ankara, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Two assailants - a man and a woman - carried out Wednesday's assault with automatic rifles and explosives on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) in Ankara. Twenty-two people were also wounded.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, during which both militants were killed. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the male attacker was confirmed to be a PKK member, while the female assailant had not yet been identified, according to Reuters.

Turkish forces struck 29 PKK targets in northern Iraq and 18 in northern Syria, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said. Later, his ministry said 59 militants, including two believed to be "high level", were "neutralized", a term usually used to mean killed.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Thursday that the Turkish strikes in northern and eastern Syria had killed 12 civilians, including two children, and wounded 25 people.

Spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG and including Arab fighters, the SDF has been a major partner for the US-led coalition against ISIS. It holds a quarter of Syria including oil fields and areas where some 900 US troops are deployed.

Türkiye says the YPG is a terrorist organization that is closely tied to the PKK. Türkiye's defense ministry said every precaution had been taken to prevent harm to innocent civilians

"No member of the treacherous terrorist organization will be able to escape the grasp of Turkish soldiers," Guler said in a memorial ceremony at a defense industry fair in Istanbul.

"It is not a coincidence that this site was targeted," he added, referring to TUSAS.

Türkiye regularly targets the PKK in Iraq and Syria with fighter jets and drones and TUSAS is Türkiye's largest aerospace manufacturer, producing drones, helicopters, training craft and developing the country's first indigenous fighter jet, KAAN.

Security was tightened at TUSAS headquarters on Thursday, with security forces searching vehicles and checking people's identities, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

The alert level was raised to "orange" at Turkish airports as part of increased security measures, an aviation sector source told Reuters.



Biden Casts Early Ballot for Harris as Election Day Nears

 President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)
President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)
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Biden Casts Early Ballot for Harris as Election Day Nears

 President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)
President Joe Biden, center, holds an "I Voted Early" sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2024 general elections, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New Castle, Del. (AP)

President Joe Biden has cast an early ballot in the 2024 general election.

It's a bittersweet moment for Biden, who decided to end his reelection campaign in July because of growing concerns about his health and Democrats' worries about his chances of defeating former President Donald Trump.  

Biden voted on Monday at the state of Delaware Department of Elections, not far from his home outside Wilmington, Delaware at an early voting site, where voters were lined up down the street to cast ballots.

Biden chatted with voters as he waited in line to cast his ballot, and helped push an older woman in a wheelchair who ahead of him. The president waited in line for about 40 minutes before he cast his ballot.

He handed his identification to the election worker, who had him sign a form and announced: “Joseph Biden now voting.”

As the president cast his ballot behind a black drape, some first-time voters were announced and the room erupted in cheers for them.

For all but a few years since 1970, Biden has either held office or been running for one during election season.

But this year, his hopes lie with a newer generation of Democrats, including three on the Delaware ballot looking to make history.

Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed after dropping out, is vying to become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to serve as president.