Ankara Attack: Turkey Begins Security Operations Against PKK

Turkish authorities have begun security operations against the PKK members in south-eastern Turkey and in Iraq.

The moves come as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed a crackdown on terror after March 13 attack in Ankara that killed at least 36 people.

A suspected bomber, who also died in the blast, was a female member of the PKK, security sources said.

Four people were held over the bombings in the south-eastern city of Sanliurfa, according to Turkish media.

Officials were quoted as saying the car used in the bombing was traced to a showroom there.

A curfew was declared in three towns in south-east Turkey, while warplanes struck PKK camps in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Eleven warplanes carried out air strikes on 18 targets including ammunition dumps and shelters in the Qandil and Gara sectors, the army said. The PKK (the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party) confirmed the attacks.

Meanwhile curfews have been imposed in two mainly Kurdish towns in south-eastern Turkey, Yuksekova and Nusaybin, as security operations are carried out against Kurdish militants, Anadolu news agency reports.

Another curfew is due to start in the city of Sirnak at 23:00 local time.

No group has admitted carrying out the Ankara attack, but government sources have cast suspicion on the PKK.

Interior Minister Efkan Ala said an investigation would conclude on March 14 and those responsible would be named.

Unnamed officials said the female bomber was a member of the PKK from the eastern town of Kars who joined the group in 2013.

Kurdish rebels have carried out a series of attacks on Turkish soil in recent months, and security forces have raided Kurdish areas, after a ceasefire ended last year. ISIS has also targeted Ankara recently.

Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against IS and allows coalition planes to use its air base at Incirlik for raids on Iraq and Syria.

The country has also been carrying out a campaign of bombardment against Syrian Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which it regards as a extension of the PKK.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement that terror groups were targeting civilians because they were losing the battle against Turkish security forces.

Calling for national unity, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would use its right to self-defense to prevent future attacks.