Türkiye was rattled last week after two members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) carried out a terror attack outside Ankara. The attack, which killed 5 and injured 22, took place at the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters (TAI), a company responsible for supplying both commercial airlines as well as the Turkish military. Turkish President Recep Erdoğan said that both gunmen were quickly “neutralised” during the attack. However, this was before they set off an explosive, entered the company’s building with rifles, and murdered a taxi driver and four TAI employees.

The PKK eventually claimed responsibility for the attack, with the armed faction of the militant group calling the two attackers “heroes”. This all but confirmed Turkish officials’ suspicions about the terrorist group’s involvement; a group that has been fighting Türkiye for greater Kurdish political and civil rights since the eighties. Turkish authorities retaliated the day after the attack by launching 47 strikes in Kurdish territories in Iraq and Syria. The Turkish Ministry of National Defence stated that “all kinds of precautions” were taken to avoid civilian casualties in the attack, which ultimately killed 59 people.  Kurdish militias in Syria, however, beg to differ and claim that at least 12 casualties were civilians. The Turkish Defence Minister, Yaşar Güler, stated that the PKK will be pursued until “every last terrorist is eliminated”. It remains unclear whether this might signal an escalation in conflict between the Turkish and the Kurds. There had been talks of a ceasefire before this attack between the two groups, but it is too early to tell if peace talks will continue.

Since Türkiye is a member of NATO, it is unlikely that the West will condemn Ankara’s destructive strikes in Iraq and Syria. As the conflict in Gaza spreads to neighbouring countries in the region, Türkiye’s actions are unlikely to garner too much attention. Yet, with conflicting reports on the extent of civilian casualties and a clear escalation and statement of intent from Türkiye, the effectiveness and necessity of these strikes must be put into question. It is imperative that both groups focus on renewing peace talks, as this is the only way that can bring an end to the conflict.

However, these talks, even if they were to take place, will be challenging. Tensions between Turks and Kurds have persisted since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It wasn’t until almost 80 years later, after the founding of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in 1978 and the beginning of its war against Türkiye in 1984 that unrest began to dramatically increase. The PKK has been involved in incessant guerrilla warfare ever since, which hit its peak in 2023. Following the terror attack last week, it appears violence is here to stay.

This history of bitterness and hatred and makes it is easy to dismiss any chance of a ceasefire between Türkiye and the PKK. However, with President Erdoğan worrying about Kurdish groups moving closer to Ankara’s regional adversaries like Iran, and also an upcoming presidential election in 2027, it is possible that Erdoğan might try to ease tensions with Kurds living in Türkiye. On the other hand, Kurdish leaders doubt whether Ankara is genuinely interested in peace talks. To the Kurdish, Türkiye is a long away from addressing any of their main concerns. Whatever happens, the sooner durable peace is achieved, the easier it will be to address concerns held by all parties.