**PKK Claims Deadly Attack on Turkish Defence Firm as Ankara Vows Retaliation**

In a brazen assault near Ankara, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has taken responsibility for an attack on a Turkish state-operated defence company that resulted in the deaths of five individuals and left 22 others injured. Via a statement on the Telegram app, the PKK labeled the attack as an "act of sacrifice" carried out by its "immortals battalion."

The incident occurred on Wednesday when fighters stormed the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) campus, deploying explosives and unleashing automatic rifle fire. The company is known for its production and design of civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other defence and space systems.

Turkish authorities swiftly responded to the assault. On Friday, the Ministry of National Defence announced a series of air strikes conducted for the second consecutive night in northern Iraq. These operations targeted PKK strongholds in Hakurk, Gara, Qandil, and Sinjar, obliterating shelters, warehouses, and various facilities. The strikes followed an emergency security meeting led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, which saw the participation of key ministers and top military and intelligence officials.

The Turkish government asserted it had irrefutable evidence linking the PKK to the attack. Following the TUSAS incident, Turkish forces executed strikes on 29 targets in northern Iraq and 18 in northern Syria. Citing Turkish media, President Erdogan disclosed that the perpetrators had infiltrated Turkey from Syria and vowed to eliminate "terrorism at its source." He assured that the fight against the PKK would persist relentlessly and stated that the retaliatory bombing had inflicted severe damage on the group.

According to security sources cited by Reuters, Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) has so far targeted a total of 120 PKK locations in Iraq and Syria since the Ankara attack.

Simultaneously, reports have surfaced from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicating that Turkish drone strikes in northern and eastern Syria have killed 27 civilians within a 24-hour period. The watchdog reported 45 drone strikes and four fighter jet attacks that compromised vital infrastructure, including water and power networks and gas stations. The Turkish army, however, denied allegations of targeting civilian sites.

Additionally, Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Friday that 176 suspected PKK members were apprehended in nationwide operations.

Turkey maintains a rigorous campaign of air strikes against the PKK in Iraq and a Kurdish affiliate group in Syria. The PKK has been embroiled in a violent struggle for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since the 1980s, a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.