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Turkish warplanes strike Kurdish PKK
rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan
16.4.2008
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April 16, 2008
ANKARA, -- Turkish warplanes attacked a group
of Turkey's separatist Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraqi
Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' as they attempted
to sneak across the border into Turkey, the Turkish
military said Wednesday.
The statement said the armed group was "rendered
ineffective" in the raid, which took place Tuesday
in the Avasin-Basyan area of Kurdistan 'northern
Iraq', without saying how many rebels were killed.
Turkish warplanes have targeted Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) positions in Kurdistan region in
'northern Iraq' since mid-December. In February, thousands of Turkish troops,www.ekurd.net
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, where Ankara estimates more than
2,000 militants take refuge. |
Turkish warplanes attacked a group of Turkey's
separatist Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan
region |
Turkish forces withdrew
from semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in 'northern
Iraq' on February 29, only a day after US President
George W. Bush
urged Ankara to
quickly wrap up the incursion and Defense Secretary
Robert Gates personally
put pressure on
Turkish leaders during a visit to Ankara.
Also Tuesday, the army clashed with PKK rebels in
two mountainous areas in southeast Turkey, killing
at least one militant, the statement said.
The soldiers also seized rifles, ammunition,
explosives and other bomb-making materials in rebel
hideouts, it added.
The Turkish government has a one-year parliamentary
authorisation, which expires in October, for
cross-border raids in semi-autonomous Kurdistan in
'northern Iraq' against the PKK.
The United States has backed Turkish military action
against the rebels by providing real-time
intelligence on PKK movements in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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',www.ekurd.net
Turkey fears
this could fan separatism among its own large
Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
Over 39,000 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. 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
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel
group PKK and its political wing on
the European Union's terror list.
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 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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