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200 Turkish soldiers surrounded by Kurdish
PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan
29.2.2008
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February 29, 2008
SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', --
Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels surrounded about 200
Turkish soldiers in a mountain valley in Kurdistan
region 'northern Iraq' on Thursday, a spokesman for
the rebels said.
Rebel spokesman Ahmad Danas said the soldiers were
in a valley between two mountains about 10
kilometers (six miles) from the Turkey-Iraqi
Kurdistan border when the rebels surrounded them.
Heavy clashes have broken out between the two sides,
he added.
A Turkish helicopter in the area was hit by rebel
fire, Danas said. Turkish officials were not
immediately available for comment.
Turkey launched the
incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan
last week against Turkish separatist rebels from the
PKK,www.ekurd.net
a group fighting for
autonomy for the predominantly Kurdish southeastern
Turkey.
Iraqi authorities have said they do not support the
PKK but objected to Turkey's military action. |
Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) freedom
fighters.
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, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms. |
Turkey's military has
said it has killed 230 rebels in the incursion while
Turkish losses stood at 27. Danas said 20 Turkish
troops were killed in clashes Wednesday,www.ekurd.net
but Turkish officials
were not immediately available to comment on that
number.
The remote battle sites are inaccessible to the
media and casualty and other reports cannot be
independently confirmed.
Iraqi Kurdistan politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group (Kurdish
freedom fighters) as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq', Turkey fears
this could fan separatism among its own large
Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
Turkey has never, and still does not, recognize the
Iraqi Kurdistan region government (KRG) and refuses to
meet with its representatives in any official
capacity. That reflects Ankara's fear that any
international respect shown to the autonomous Iraqi
Kurdistan region would only embolden Turkey's own
large Kurdish minority to seek similar home-rule
status.
The core of Turkey's "Kurdish problem" is not the
PKK. It is Turkey's denial of basic political and
cultural rights to its Kurds.
Analysts believe the Turkish raids inside Iraqi
Kurdistan region had a secondary purpose of
discouraging a referendum on Kirkuk city. Ankara
fears that if the oil-rich Kirkuk joins Kurdistan,
the Kurds will have the economic foundation they
need for an independent state.
Turks are also fearful of the autonomy the northern
Iraqi Kurdistan region enjoys with its own flag,
institutions and even oil exploitation contracts
with overseas companies.
Since 1984 the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish
PKK rebels.
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, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
the U.S. and the EU.
AP | Agencies
**
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, a
large Turkey's 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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