PKK Attack on Turkish TUSAS Headquarters

Kurdish Activists Rally Against Turkish Military Presence in Kurdistan (Flickr).

The PKK, a Kurdish militant group, launched their most recent assault against the Turkish government on October 23 in Ankara. Around 12:30 GMT, two individuals set off an explosion at a Turkish defense industry complex, then entered the building carrying firearms. This complex was the headquarters of TUSAS, a company that produces combat drones, planes and helicopters for the state. The incident led to the deaths of five people along with the injury of 22 others. According to the PKK, “the weapons produced by TUSAS have killed thousands of civilians,” and this attack served as a message. 

Abdullah Öcalan and his colleagues founded the Kurdistan’s Workers Party, known as PKK, in 1978. Although currently imprisoned, Öcalan remains the group’s primary leader. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the PKK has “waged an insurgency since 1984 against Turkish authorities … primarily with the objective of establishing an independent Kurdish state.” Turkey, the United States, Canada, and some members of the European Union have designated the PKK as a terrorist organization. The PKK operated out of Syria without much resistance until 1998, when Turkey threatened war if the state continued to facilitate the group’s operations. In 2013, the PKK and Turkey agreed to a ceasefire, but the agreement fell through just two and a half years later. Now, the group is spread across northern Iraq, northern Syria and southeastern Turkey. 

Abdullah Öcalan is currently serving a life sentence on the island Imrali where he has remained since his trial. The day before the October 23 attack,  Devlet Bahçeli, a prominent Turkish politician, suggested that Öcalan address parliament. This proposition involved Öcalan’s potential release should Öcalan choose to publicly disband the PKK. Bahçeli stated “Let him shout that terrorism is completely over and his organization is disbanded.” His close ally, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed his support for this proposal, calling it a “historic window of opportunity.”

Although President Erdogan promised to take action against terrorism, saying Turkey will “rid itself of this affliction,” his stance on negotiation with Öcalan remains unchanged. When addressing the attack, Erdogan stated an “era of a different political climate is emerging in our country’s politics,” and signaled continued cooperation.