The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday the launch of the “Sword Claw” air operation in northern Iraq and Syria, accusing these regions of being “used as bases by Kurdish terrorists”.
“The planes have taken off from their bases, the aerial operation has begun,” the ministry said in a statement, a week after the deadly attack that hit a shopping street in the heart of Istanbul.
The operation was carried out “in accordance with the rights of self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, in order to eliminate terrorist attacks from northern Iraq and Syria, to ensure the safety of borders and to eliminate terrorism at its source,” he said.
In the night, on Twitter, the ministry had launched: “The time for accounts has come! The bastards will be held accountable for their perfidious attacks”, after the attack which on November 13 left six dead and 81 injured in the heart of Istanbul.
“Nests of terror are being swept away by precision strikes,” he added, without further details on the intended targets.
The authorities immediately designated the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the YPG (People’s Protection Units), a Kurdish militia active in Syria, accused by Turkey of being affiliated with the PKK.
According to the statement, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar “directed and managed Operation Claw Sword […]from the Air Force Operations Center.