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US General: Non-Military efforts important
in fighting PKK in Turkey
5.12.2007
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December
5, 2007
The commander of U.S. forces in Europe says Turkey
needs to deal with Kurdish violence using
counterinsurgency principles that go beyond military
force and focus on eliminating the reasons for the
popular discontent that fuels insurgencies. General
Bantz Craddock spoke to reporters in Washington.
General Craddock declined to provide details of
meetings he has had with Turkish officials, but he
described the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party or
PKK as a 'terrorist' organization that is acting
like an insurgency. He said "obviously"
counterinsurgency theories are important in fighting
it.
"There are counterinsurgency indications, and
obviously counterinsurgency measures that can be
taken. And we are talking to them about our
experiences and our doctrine," he said.
The new U.S. military counterinsurgency doctrine
calls for a multi-faceted approach, including
military forces, but focusing on winning the hearts
and minds of the people involved by providing
government services and economic development. U.S.
forces began implementing the doctrine in Iraq and
Afghanistan earlier this year, and have had some
success. General Craddock says Turkey is also doing
some non-military counterinsurgency work in Kurdish
areas in southeastern Turkey near the Iraqi
Kurdistan border.
"In an insurgency, there are very few military
solutions," he added. "It's a comprehensive
approach. It's counterinsurgency doctrine,
separating leadership from followers, providing
followers [with] alternatives. I think if one looks
at what's happening, particularly in southeast
Turkey, you'd see some counterinsurgency operations
conducted by the Turkish government, beyond the
military, which is helpful and I think in the right
direction."
The general did not say what could be done to apply
counterinsurgency principles to PKK guerrillas who
operate in the mountains of Kurdistan 'northern
Iraq', and strike at Turkish targets across the
border. He called the impact of the PKK attacks
"significant."
In October, after a particularly deadly cross-border
strike, Turkey's defense minister called on its NATO
ally the United States to take "tangible action" to
help end the attacks. Since then, Turkey has stepped
up military operations against the PKK, and the
United States has reportedly provided some help
through intelligence, political pressure on the
Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq and
other forms of cooperation. But U.S. military forces
in Iraq have not become involved in the fighting.
voanews com
**
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,
large Kurdish community 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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