Turkish airstrikes target YPG in northern Syria for 2nd time after bomb attack

The Turkish military carried out airstrikes against the Syrian Kurdish Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria for the second time after a suicidal bomb attack in Ankara over the weekend, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Friday evening.

Air operations were carried out against YPG targets in the northern region of Syria, the ministry said in a statement.

The airstrikes targeted "headquarters," shelters and warehouses, which were considered to contain "terrorists," and 15 targets were destroyed, according to the statement.

The operations came after a suicidal bomb attack in Ankara on Sunday, which targeted the entrance of the Turkish Interior Ministry building, leaving two assailants dead and two police officers wounded.

The Turkish Interior Ministry said the two attackers were identified as members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and came from Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on Wednesday that all PKK and the YPG infrastructure and energy facilities in Syria and Iraq were now "legitimate targets" for the Turkish military.

Türkiye sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria in order to create a YPG-free zone along its border within the neighboring country.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.