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Turkey launches airstrikes against Kurds
in Iraqi Kurdistan
6.10.2008
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October 6, 2008
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region "Iraq", —
Turkey staged retaliatory airstrikes against
Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels in Kurdistan region
"northern Iraq" on Sunday, as thousands of Turks
attended funerals for 15 soldiers who were killed by
the rebels in a cross-border attack from Iraq.
The air strike targeted Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
militants holed up in the Avasin Basyan region along
the border, following an initial operation Sunday
night in which Turkish forces fired artillery at two
other rebel groups detected in the same area, the
military said.
The raid was "successful," the statetement said,
without mentioning casualties.
Public anger mounted in Turkey at the inability of
civilian leaders to stop attacks by the rebel
Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). From bases
in southeastern Turkey and in Kurdistan "northern
Iraq",www.ekurd.net
the group has waged a
24-year guerrilla war for greater autonomy for
Turkey's minority Kurds. |
Turkish warplanes bombed the bases of the Turkey's
separatist Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan
region |
The PKK said in a
statement Monday it had the bodies of two soldiers.
The Turkish military has listed two men as missing.
The PKK claimed to have killed 62 Turkish soldiers
and wounded more than 30, while putting its own
losses at nine.
In Ankara, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
convened his ministers of the interior, defence,
justice and foreign affairs to discuss fresh
measures against the PKK after the attack on the
outpost sparked nationwide outrage and triggered
calls for tougher action against the rebels.
Mourners booed President Abdullah Gul and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at funerals Sunday for
two of the soldiers killed Friday near the border
with Iraq. Demonstrators elsewhere waved the
country's flag in front of parliament and beat and
burned effigies of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
Turkey's leaders increased demands Sunday for Iraq
to do more against the Kurdish rebels based there.
"We have no support at
all from the northern Iraqi administration," Gen.
Hasan Igsiz told reporters in Ankara,www.ekurd.net
Turkey's capital.
Turkish warplanes bombed suspected rebel bases in
Kurdistan region "northern Iraq" late Sunday, the
military said. It gave no other details.
Iraqi Kurdish 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'.
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.
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.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, 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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