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Turkish general says US backed Iraqi
Kurdistan strikes
17.12.2007
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December
17, 2007
Ankara, -- The United States backed Turkish
air raids on Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels in
Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' Sunday with
intelligence and clearance to enter Iraqi airspace,
Turkey's army chief said according to the Anatolia
news agency.
"The United States gave intelligence," General Yasar
Buyukanit was quoted by the agency as telling the
private television channel Kanal D.
"But what is more important is that the United
States last night opened northern Iraqi airspace to
us. By doing that, the United States approved the
operation," Buyukanit said.
The general staff announced earlier that Turkish
warplanes had carried out air strikes early Sunday
against positions of the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) militants in Iraqi autonomous region of
Kurdistan. Artillery pounded the targets after the
air raids, it said.
"The PKK should watch its step. It should not forget
that, for us, its camps and movement in northern
Iraq are like a 'Big Brother' show," the general
said, referring to the popular reality TV show.
He said winter conditions in mountainous Kurdistan
'northern Iraq' would provide no refuge for the
rebels who have been waging a 23-year campaign for
self-rule in the mainly Kurdish Turkey's southeast.
"The Turkish Armed Forces have given the message to
the Turkish public and the world that whether it is
winter or summer, we will find and hit them (PKK
rebels) even if they live in caves," Buyukanit
added.
Buyukanit said that Sunday's strikes had been
successful and all targets had been destroyed.
He denied that villages along the border had been
struck,www.ekurd.net
and said that the
strikes targeted PKK camps that had been previously
identified.
"No civilian targets or villages were hit even
accidentally," Buyukanit said.
The general said he and his top commanders had
watched the operation live at the general staff
headquarters in Ankara.
"Last night, I did not sleep at all.... I went home
in the morning with my mind at rest," he added.
More than 37,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, granting them full
political freedoms.
The (PKK) KONGRA-GEL released an
official declaration
reiterating their desire for negotiations with the
Turkish government.
AFP
**
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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