World
Turkey hits US-allied Kurds in Syria, Iraq following terrorist attack on defense group
Turkey hit with terrorist attack
Turkey has accused Kurdish terrorists affiliated with the PKK of hitting a defense company in Ankara when two assailants attacked with assault rifles and explosives.
NATO member Turkey on Thursday carried out a second day of aerial attacks on what it said are Kurdish militant positions in Iraq and Syria, following a terrorist attack on a state-run defense agency this week in which five people were killed.
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization reportedly targeted numerous “strategic locations” allegedly used by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – which was deemed a terrorist organization in the U.S. in 1997 – as well as targets used by Syrian Kurdish militia affiliated with the militant group.
Armed drones were used to hit military, intelligence, energy and infrastructure facilities and ammunition depots, The Associated Press reported.
Smoke rises as emergency rescue teams and police officers attend outside Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. on the outskirts of Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (IHA via AP)
EXPLOSION AT TURKISH AEROSPACE FACILITY RULED A TERROR ATTACK
However, according to General Commander Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who is Kurdish, the Turkish attacks have been “indiscriminate” and have targeted civilian areas and health centers.
“Turkey indiscriminately and unjustifiably bombards our areas, targeting civilian, service, and health centers,” he said in a message posted to X. “This is a war crime.
“We have repeatedly shown our readiness for dialogue. Meanwhile, we affirm that our forces are ready to defend our people and land,” he added.
In a statement released by the SDF on Thursday, 12 people were killed during Turkey’s aerial bombardment, including two children, and 25 others were wounded.
“In addition to populated areas, Turkish warplanes and UAVs targeted bakeries, power stations, oil facilities, and Internal Security Force checkpoints. These essential civic facilities were among the 42 civic sites struck by Turkish artillery shelling,” the statement said.
It is unclear if any casualties have been confirmed in Iraq. One source on the ground in the region hit, who heard fighter jets and “loud explosions,” told Fox News Digital that the mountainous area that was bombed had already largely been depopulated due to previous Turkish military operations there.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the State Department for comment in response to the attacks and civilian deaths reported by the SDF – who have long stood as allies to the U.S. in the war against ISIS.
Syrian Kurdish security forces stand by as former detainees suspected of being members of the Islamic State group are released in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakeh on Sept. 2, 2024. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said that 47 alleged PKK targets were destroyed in Wednesday’s airstrikes, including 29 in Iraq and 18 in Syria.
“Our noble nation should rest assured that we will continue with increasing determination our struggle to eliminate the evil forces that threaten the security and peace of our country and people, until the last terrorist disappears from this geography,” Guler said.
The strikes in Iraq and Syria began Wednesday after two suspected Kurdish assailants carried out an attack on an aerospace and defense company, dubbed TUSAS, in the Turkish capital of Ankara earlier that day.
A man and a woman reportedly arrived at the TUSAS premises armed with assault rifles in a taxi they stole after killing the driver.
They then set off explosives and opened fire, killing five people and injuring another 22 before they themselves were killed by responding security forces, in what Turkish officials have deemed a “terrorist attack.”
In this image taken from security camera video shows two people with guns and backpacks during an attack on the premises of the Turkish state-run aerospace and defense company, TUSAS, on the outskirts of Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday Oct. 23, 2024. (Validated UGC via AP)
The PKK does not appear to have yet claimed credit for the attack.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Wednesday said Washington “strongly condemns” the “terrorist attack.”
The Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., could not immediately be reached for comment by Fox News Digital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
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World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
NEW EBOLA OUTBREAK LEAVES 65 DEAD AS OFFICIALS WARN OF CROSS-BORDER SPREAD
A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
EBOLA OUTBREAK REPORTED IN AFRICAN COUNTRY — HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
‘DISEASE X’ HAS KILLED DOZENS IN THE CONGO — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MYSTERY ILLNESS
Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
World
Iran plans Hormuz tolls; Trump warns of ‘very bad time’ over stalled talks
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