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Turkish army lost more than it announced,
clashes continue 22.10.2007
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October
22, 2007
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',-- The
Turkish army lost more than it announced after the
clashes that occurred on Saturday evening on the
Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkish borders, the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK)'s foreign relations official
said on Sunday.
The Turkish army, which is threatening to attack
northern Iraqi to strike PKK members, was quoted by
the Turkish Anatolian news agency as saying that 12
Turkish soldiers were killed and 16 others wounded
in clashes with PKK fighters.
"PKK fighters killed and captured a number of
Turkish soldiers in clashes between the two sides
going on since Saturday evening in Oramay in Hakary
province on the Turkish side of the Iraqi
Kurdistan-Turkish borders," Abdul-Rahman al-Jadirji
told VOI by telephone.
Jadirji did not reveal details about the Turkish
army's losses, declining to speak about PKK
casualties said by the Turkish army in a statement
to have reached 23 deaths and captures.
Hakary, one of the provinces of Anatolia region in
mainly Kurdish southern Turkey, is surrounded by
mountains from four directions, lying near Iraqi
Kurdistan and Iran with a border strip that extends
to reach 343 km. Hakary has a population of 58,145.
The Turkish parliament unanimously approved on
Wednesday a memorandum forwarded by the government
to give the thumbs up to the Turkish army to hunt
down members of the PKK, or Partiya Karkeren
Kurdistan in Kurdish region, in northern Iraq.
Only 19 out of a total 555 legislators in the
Turkish parliament voted against the proposal. The
Turkish parliament made the decision after PKK
fighters on the Turkish-Iraqi border areas waged
armed attacks that killed nearly 15 Turkish soldiers
ten days ago.
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using a
Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an excuse to
invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent the
establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq'.
Ankara is anxious to prevent the emergence of a
Kurdish state in Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq',
fearing this could fan separatism among its own
large Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
VOI
**
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in
Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
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" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 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.
Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds, some
of whom openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a
Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish
southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media.
The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish
alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and
2003
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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