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Turkish soldiers kill 3 Kurdish rebels in
fight near Iraq border
12.11.2006 |
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DIYARBAKIR,
Turkey-Kurdistan, November 12, -- Turkish troops
killed three Kurdish rebels who opened fire on a
military helicopter near the border with Iraq,
authorities said Sunday.
Rebels shot at the helicopter as it was on patrol in
the Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Sirnak,
setting off a clash in which the three were killed,
the local governor’s office said.
The office said soldiers confiscated dozens of
kilograms of explosives, 110 grenades, 5 rocket
launchers and thousands of rounds of ammunition
after the clash.
Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in
mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey for more than two
decades, often slipping across the mountainous
border from training camps in northern Iraq.
More than 37,000 people have died as a result of the
fighting since 1984, when the rebels took up arms
against the state.
The main Kurdish rebel group here, the Kurdistan
Workers Party or PKK, declared a unilateral
cease-fire on Oct. 1 in the hope of establishing
dialogue with the government, but Turkey says it
will not negotiate with a group it classifies as a
terrorist organization.
The PKK is also listed as a terrorist group by the
United States.
AP
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".
Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but
unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is
banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is
a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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