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U.S. Drone Was Responsible For Kurdish
Massacre in Turkey
9.1.2012
By ekurd.net staff writers |
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January
9, 2012
ORATSU,, The Kurdish
region of Turkey, — A U.S. Predator drone mistakenly
targeted Kurdish smugglers in southeastern Turkey,
killing 35
Kurdish civilians, a report said.
The drone, was one of four based at Incirlik Airbase
in southern Turkey, launched the airstrike in
December on the village of Ortasu, sources told
Turkey's Aydinlik.
In its main headline on Sunday, Turkish Aydinlik
newspaper quoted "credible sources" as saying that
the US drone had launched the airstrike by targeting
the victims. Iran's Press TV reported.
Turkish air force F-16 fighter jets arrived on scene
about 16 to 18 minutes later and continued the
attack on what the military thought were members of
the of Kurdistan Workers' Party rebel group,www.ekurd.net
Iran's Press TV said.
The US delivered four Predator drones to Turkey last
year, as part of Washington's gesture of support to
the Turkish fight against PKK guerrillas.
In November 2011, Turkey bombed Sulaimaniyah and Erbil
provinces of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish
region, wounding a civilian, Kurdish officials said.
Since August 17, 2011 Turkish jets repeatedly carried out
air strikes against the Kurdish PKK separatist
group's bases in
Iraqi Kurdistan region,
under justification of chasing elements of the
anti-Ankara PKK, forcing large numbers of Kurdish
citizens of those areas to desert their home
villages, including an air raid that
killed 7
Kurdish civilians in a village north
of Kurdistan’s Sulaimaniyah city on August 21, 2011.
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been
fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the
constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a
Kurdish state in the south east of the country, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000
lives.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous
Kurdish region
and more cultural rights for ethnic Kurds who
constitute the greatest minority in Turkey, numbering more than 20 million. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees,
lifting the ban on education in Kurdish,www.ekurd.net
paving the
way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within
Turkey, reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader
Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action against
the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish
constitution.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
The PKK is considered ass '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.
Sources: Presstv.ir | upi.com | AFP | ekurd.net |
Agencies
Copyright © 2012 ekurd.net
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