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Two Turkish soldiers killed in PKK
clashes, locals flee
30.7.2012 |
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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. Photo: HPG
July 30, 2012
DIYARBAKIR, The Kurdish region of Turkey,
— Kurdish PKK rebels killed two Turkish soldiers in
clashes in the country's southeast and hundreds of
villagers have fled the fighting, adding to Ankara's
concerns over gains by Kurdish groups in
neighbouring Syrian Kurdistan, Reuters reported.
The government of the Kurdish Hakkari province, near
Turkey's borders with Iraqi Kurdistan region and
Iranian Kurdistan, said the two soldiers were killed
and 10 others wounded during fighting that broke out
there on Sunday.
Fighting, including bombardment with helicopters and
war planes, was still underway on the southern
fringe of the Kurdish town of Semdinli,www.ekurd.net
town mayor Sedat Tore said.
He said six hamlets had been evacuated and up to
1,000 people had fled.
The province is the scene of recurring fighting
between Turkish forces and fighters of the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK).
Syrian opposition forces say President Bashar al-Assad's
forces last week quit areas further west on the
Turkish-Syrian border, now reportedly controlled by
members of a PKK-aligned Syrian Kurdish group.
The collapse of Syria's state security presence in a
region populated largely by Kurds has stirred
Turkish anxieties about the potential for rekindled
separatist sentiment in its borders.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said last week
that Turkey could intervene in Syria in response to
any attack or potential threat deemed to emanate
from there.
The PKK has several times proposed peaceful solutions regarding Kurdish problem,
Turkey has always refused saying that it will not negotiate with “terrorists”.
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.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous 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.
The PKK wants constitutional recognition for the Kurds, regional
self-governance and Kurdish-language education in schools.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees, lifting the ban on education in
Kurdish, 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.
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