|
PKK's Statement: The total outcome of the
fighting, 120 Turkish soldiers killed
3.3.2008
|
|
|
|
March 3, 2008
HPG's Statement: The total
outcome of the fighting with the Turkish invading
forces: 120 Turkish soldiers killed
Media and Communication Center of the Kurdistan
People’s Defense Forces, March 1, 2008
The total outcome of the
fighting with the Turkish invading forces during the
sweep attack:
Five martyrs of HPG were killed defending Kurdistan. |
 |
In the overall battle erupted between our fighters
and soldiers of the Turkish army as of February 21,
2008, during the Turkish forces attempt to inter the
Zab area, 108 soldiers of the Turkish army were
killed by our HPG fighters. Another 12 soldiers
killed during the Turkish forces withdrawal from
Kurdistan-Iraq,www.ekurd.net
that bring the total of
Turkish soldiers killed to 120..
Turkish army has been unable to move ahead one step
despite the backing of the Turkish air force
warplanes,www.ekurd.net
the Turkish artillery
shelling and the intelligence information provided
by the United States reconnaissance planes.
We declare to the public opinion that 7 of our
comrades had been wounded during these
confrontations. They are receiving treatment in the
areas of Madya’s Defenses under the care of our
Defense Forces doctors and we did not move them to
any of the cities and hospitals named by the Turkish
media.
End of statement.
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.
The general staff
announced Friday it had ended a week-long ground
offensive against Turkey's separatist Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) rebels in the autonomous
Kurdistan region in Iraq, pulling its forces out
in the early hours of the day.
The withdrawal came a day after
US President George W. Bush
urged Turkey to end its withdrawal
"as quickly as possible" and visiting US Defence
Secretary Robert Gates personally
put pressure on
Turkish leaders during talks in Ankara.
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 is considered a terrorist organization by
the U.S. and the EU.
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 rejects direct talks with Iraqi Kurdistan
government, Officially, Turkey does not recognise
the regional government of Kurdistan led by
president Massoud Barzani.
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.
Iraqi Kurdistan politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group 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.
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.
Information for this report was provided by HGP |
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
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 