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PKK: Turkey in 'limited' withdrawal of
troops in Iraqi Kurdistan
29.2.2008
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February 29, 2008
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', --
Turkish troops have started a "limited" withdrawal
of troops from Kurdistan region in 'northern Iraq',
the spokesman of the Turkey's rebel Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) said on Friday.
"Turkish troops have started a limited withdrawal
from the Zap region at the border," spokesman Ahmed
Danis told AFP.
"We are observing military movements like empty
military trucks coming from Turkey. The trucks are
being loaded with troops and returning to Turkey,"
he said.
"If they withdraw completely it would be a victory
for Kurdistan and for the PKK."
Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for
the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Kurdistan region
'northern Iraq', did not confirm the withdrawal of
Turkish troops.
"The last information we have is that there was a
battle and bombings near Zap a few hours ago," he
said.
Zap,www.ekurd.net
located northwest of the
city of Duhok in Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region
near the Turkish border, has a large training base
for the PKK.
Thousands of Turkish troops, backed by tanks,
attack helicopters and warplanes,
crossed into Kurdistan region in northern
Iraq on February 21 in an operation which Ankara said was aimed at Turkey's Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas and their bases.
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.
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.
Information for this report was provided by AFP | 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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