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Turkish jets bomb Kurdish PKK rebel
targets in Iraq's Kurdistan
16.8.2012 |
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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 region [Northern Kurdistan],
the party also demanded an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full political freedoms. Turkey refuses
to recognize its Kurdish population as a distinct minority and still denies the
constitutional existence of Kurds.
A large Turkey's Kurdish community, numbering more
than 20 million, openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK
rebels.
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August 16, 2012
DIYARBAKIR, The Kurdish region of Turkey,
— Turkish warplanes bombed areas of Iraqi Kurdistan
in a bid to target rear bases of the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) overnight into Thursday, a
spokesman for the rebel group said.
"Turkish warplanes struck around midnight against
several areas in the Kurdish Iraqi area," Haval Roz
told AFP.
"Four warplanes took part, and did not cause any
casualties but damaged farms and orchards," he said.
"It started at 11:30 pm (2030 GMT) and continued
until 12:10 am."
Roz said the bombings were near the villages of Laji,
Khenera and Boskan, all in the autonomous Kurdistan
region of northern Iraq were the PKK maintains rear
bases.
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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