Who is behind the attack on government-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters in Kahramankazan, about 28 kilometres from Ankara? Going by the long-drawn separatist movement and sporadic attacks on the government and military facilities and armed personnel, Kurdish separatists under the wings of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or Peshmerga fighters under the People’s Defense Units (YPG) come first to anyone’s mind, but the role of Islamic States cannot be ruled out.

Turkish Air Force has been targeting camps of Kurdish nationalist fighters in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere in the region, killing many people, including unarmed civilian men and women. They might have retaliated and hit back. 

Islamic State Behind Attack?

But the role of the radical Islamist outfit cannot be ruled out because they too are active in the area and they have been unhappy as the drones made by the Turkish Aerospace Industries have changed the scenario in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The IS has vowed publicly to uproot the liberal political system of Turkiye and establish their caliphate there, they may target the country that has been known for its Europe-impacted and unorthodox lifestyle by the Muslim-majority society.

Was Fethullah Gulen’s Men Behind Attack?

The attack on the TAI came a day after the death of Fethullah Gulen, a long-time nemesis of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The man who died in the US on Tuesday was accused of being the mastermind of the 2016 coup attempt. The armed forces loyal to the government quashed the rebellion within hours, but about 250 people were killed and more than 2,200 men and women were injured.

Gulen was basically a Muslim preacher and once a friend of Erdogan, but later on, he launched a movement that went against Recep. However, the political analysts believe he was a spent force and not in a condition of doing anything significant.

Earlier Fighting

Coming back to Kurdish fighters, it can be remembered that last month four fighters of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were killed in a drone attack carried out by the Turkish Air Force. Turkish President Erdogan declared publicly that the government forces would attack the Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria if they go ahead with plans to hold local body polls. 

Earlier on September 9, the Turkish military killed 12 militants of the banned outfit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. It was in retaliation for the killing of a soldier a day earlier.

Earlier in August, the Turkish Air Force killed 17 fighters of the PKK in an operation in the areas bordering northern Iraq.

Olive Branch To PKK

The attack on the TIA also came a day after Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Behceli said that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan could be allowed to speak in jail if he renounced violence. The MHP leader also said that if Ocalan declares that terrorism is over completely he can have a “right to hope”, suggesting the jailed PKK leader can be released and pardoned. The MHP is an ally of the ruling party.

Earlier Peace Talks

Earlier in 2012, there was a thaw in the relationship between the government and the separatist outfit, a ceasefire was declared, and peace talks began. However, the peace was short-lived as the talks collapsed in 2015, leading to one of the biggest bloodbaths in the movement.

Ocalan and other Kurdish leaders established the PKK in 1984 and launched an armed struggle for a separate homeland for the Kurdish people, in which more than 40,000 people have been killed. The EU and the US have declared the outfit a “terrorist: organization.

Meanwhile, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has said that the PKK is most likely behind the attack on the PKK. Echoing his sentiments, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler also blamed the rebel group and said that Ankara “gives these PKK members the punishment they deserve every time, but they never come to their senses.”

Peace Process Sabotaged?

Experts also believe that a rebellious faction within the PKK may have carried out the attack to sabotage any behind-the-door talks between the Erdogan-led government and the left-leaning outfit. Bahceli is an important politician and is close to President Erdogan. The attack a day after his offer indicates sabotage.

This is not the first time that the PKK has targeted the Turkish security apparatus, nor has the government carried out bombing on the PKK fighters, but it has come at a time when an important step was taken to resolve the issue and bring the cycle of violence to an end.