Turkey's Strikes on PKK Targets in Iraq Intensify Amidst Ankara Bomb Blast and Detentions

Turkish warplanes have conducted new airstrikes on Kurdish targets in northern Iraq, destroying 16 sites of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The strikes come in response to a suicide attack in Ankara, for which the PKK claimed responsibility. Turkey has been engaged in a series of military operations against the PKK, pushing the group back into neighboring Iraq. The attack in Ankara coincided with the opening of Turkey's parliament session, during which lawmakers were set to ratify Sweden's membership in NATO. Some analysts believe the PKK may be trying to block the ratification to maintain tense ties between Turkey and the United States, which supports Kurdish fighters in Syria.