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Turkey confirms its troops withdrawn from
Iraqi Kurdistan, says objectives achieved
29.2.2008
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Turkey will continue to "closely watch" PKK
activities in northern Iraq and "will not allow
threats to Turkey from this region,"
February 29, 2008
ANKARA, -- The Turkish army ended its
week-old ground offensive against Turkish Kurdish
PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan region on Friday,www.ekurd.net
saying its forces had
pulled out after achieving their objectives.
The withdrawal followed strong US pressure on its
NATO ally to wrap up the incursion against the
Turkey's separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),
launched late on February 21.
"The objectives set at the start of the operation
have been achieved and our forces... returned to
their home bases as of Friday morning," a statement
from the military general staff said.
At least 240 PKK militants were killed and dozens of
rebel hideouts, logistics bases and ammunition
depots destroyed, it said, putting the army losses
at 27 men. |
Turkish soldiers prepare for a patrol on a road near
the Turkey-Iraq border in the mainly Kurdish
southeastern province of Sirnak on February 28.
Turkey has ended its cross-border offensive against
Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan region and
already begun withdrawing troops, the Turkish NTV
news channel has reported. |
The PKK "was shown that
northern Iraq is not a safe region for them," the
statement said.
Television footage showed dozens of military trucks
loaded with soldiers crossing into Turkey from the
border town of Cukurca, while empty vehicles climbed
mountainous roads in the opposition direction.
US President George W. Bush had
urged the
Turkish army on Thursday to leave Kurdistan region
of northern Iraq "as quickly as possible" and
Defence Secretary Robert Gates personally
put pressure on
Turkish leaders during a series of meetings in
Ankara.
The military, however, insisted the withdrawal
decision was made "under no external or internal
influence."
It said some forces had already returned home before
Friday "in line with the original planning."
Turkey will continue to "closely watch" PKK
activities in northern Iraq and "will not allow
threats to Turkey from this region," the statement
said.
"The struggle against terrorism will be pursued with
determination at home and abroad," it said.
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 United States, which also labels the PKK a
terrorist group, supported its NATO ally during the
incursion with intelligence on PKK movements.
But Washington had been concerned that a prolonged
incursion could escalate into a broader conflict
between Turkish forces and the Iraqi Kurds,www.ekurd.net
who run the autonomous
Kurdistan region in northern Iraq and are staunch US
supporters.
Turkey has long accused Iraqi Kurdistan of providing
the PKK with safe haven and weapons, and warned them
not to shelter rebels fleeing the fighting. Kurdish
authorities in Kurdistan region strongly reject the
claim.
The most intensive air raids and ground assaults
during the incursion targeted the mountainous
regions of Zap and Hakurk, near the Turkish border,
where the PKK has some of its largest camps.
The Qandil mountains further east along the Iraqi
Kurdistan-Iranian border are also a major PKK
stronghold.
The PKK has claimed to have killed around 100
soldiers, lost five and to have downed a Turkish
attack helicopter during the incursion.
Ankara had repeatedly refused to commit itself to a
pullout timetable.
Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said after talks with
Gates on Thursday that Turkey would remain in
northern Iraq "as long as necessary."
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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