Image source: topwar.ru
Shortly after a major terrorist attack on Istiklal Street in Istanbul, where a car was blown up in a crowded place, the Turkish army hit Kurdish bases in Iraq and Syria. Presumably, these two events are interrelated.
The beginning of the military operation in Kurdistan was reported by the Turkish TV channel A Haber, citing a source in the country's defense ministry.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally gave the order to strike the militant bases with aircraft.
The military claims the destruction of several bases of Kurdish militants on the territory of two neighboring Middle Eastern states as a result of airstrikes. Turkish aircraft simultaneously attacked several objects. About fifty combat aircraft and 20 drones were involved in the operation.
The Turkish authorities claim that the actions of the military comply with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which states the legitimate right of the state to self-defense. Ankara noted that the territories attacked by the Turks were used by militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for terrorist attacks on Turkey.
The channel claims that the Turkish military used the Syrian airspace controlled by the Russian Aerospace Forces for attacks.
Earlier, after a brutal terrorist attack on an Istanbul street in the Fatih district, Turkish security forces detained about 20 suspects. A Syrian woman who took part in the terrorist attack admitted that she received the order from representatives of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.