http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pkk/ en-us Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:55:08 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302559/posts Bayram Bozyel, the General Chairman of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Hak-Par (Rights and Freedom Party) has disclosed a plan he claims will soon be implemented to dissolve the Kurdistan Workers Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan – PKK) and end the longstanding conflict between Turkey’s military and the Iraqi-based Kurdish militants (Haber Turk, July 6; Sabah, July 11). Hak-Par seeks greater Kurdish autonomy within a Turkish federal system. According to Bozyel, who made the revelations following meetings with leading members of northern Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the four-part plan was drawn up by Turkey, Iraq and the United States and has the full... Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302559/posts#comment Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:55:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2179524/posts Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg14.htm February 4, 2009 TG-14 Treasury Designates Free Life Party of Kurdistan a Terrorist Organization Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), a Kurdish group operating in the border region between Iraq and Iran, under Executive Order 13224 for being controlled by the terrorist group Kongra-Gel (KGK, aka the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK). "With today's action, we are exposing PJAK's terrorist ties to the KGK and supporting Turkey's efforts to protect its citizens from attack," said Stuart Levey, Treasury's Under Secretary... TREAS.GOV - The United States Department of the Treasury http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2179524/posts#comment Fri, 6 Feb 2009 07:13:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2135850/posts Note: The following blog entry is a quote: http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/11425.htm The PKK is putting more bombing and assassination plans into action Analysts say the PKK is putting more bombing and assassination plans into action in order to prevent its dissolution of and to strengthen its grassroots support for the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) ahead of the March local elections. Turkey's National Intelligence Organization discovered that the PKK sent a specially trained assassination team to Ankara to carry out the attack against the general, whose name was not disclosed. The team, which infiltrated Turkey from northern Iraq, reportedly possessed high-technology and... Zaman via THE MEMRI BLOG.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2135850/posts#comment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:03:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132962/posts Istanbul Police said 222 kg of heroin, 184 kg of hashish, 2 kg of cocaine and thousands of synthetic pills were confiscated in 141 operations in several parts of the metropolis. AA via WorldBulletin.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132962/posts#comment Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:26:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097285/posts The Turkish military says 15 of its soldiers have been killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey. At least 23 members of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party were also killed in the fighting near the Iraqi border. The Turkish military says it was responding to a rebel attack on a military outpost. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will return early from an official visit in Turkmenistan because of the attack. Turkey has carried out several air strikes and a brief ground offensive against PKK targets in northern Iraq this year. Turkey claims that the rebels... Voice of America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097285/posts#comment Sat, 4 Oct 2008 11:03:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063485/posts ISTANBUL: Turkish warplanes hit a suspected Kurdish rebel target in northern Iraq, Turkey's military said on Sunday. The cross-border air assault targeted a rebel shelter late on Saturday where a group of PKK Kurdish rebels were believed to have gathered before a planned attack in Turkey, the military said on its website. The military provided no casualty figures. The reported air raid on the Avasin-Basyan region of Iraq could not independently be confirmed. Turkey's military has launched several air raids and one ground incursion targeting the PKK rebel safe havens in northern Iraq since the parliament authorized cross-border military moves... Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063485/posts#comment Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:36:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063102/posts A Turkish energy ministry official confirmed that the BTC pipeline blast was a terrorist act. But what’s more, Russia’s international politics advisor to the Russian Duma declared the pipeline “dead” and that it would never operate again. An adviser to the Russian parliament also claimed the closed pipeline would not be opened again and declared the line is “dead”. “The world and countries in the region have seen that not NATO, but Russia is the only one who could secure the energy routes,” Alexander Dugin, international politics advisor to the Russia’s Duma, told Turkish Cumhuriyet daily. “In this context, regarding... Threats Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063102/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:45:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042813/posts Three German tourists kidnapped in eastern Turkey Three German tourists were kidnapped in Turkey's eastern province of Agri, CNNTurk reported on Wednesday. They were kidnapped by terrorists, it added quoting the governor of Agri. (UPDATED) Three German climbers on Mount Ararat were kidnapped in Turkey's eastern province of Agri, CNNTurk reported on Wednesday. The three, who were party of a 13-member team, were kidnapped by terrorists, it added quoting the governor of Agri HotNews Turkey.com Hurriyet.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042813/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:17:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040058/posts Al-Qaeda Draws New Recruits Via Internet Al-Qaeda is using the Internet to recruit vulnerable young people to its terrorist network, according to a programme aired on Saudi Arabian TV late on Tuesday. Umm Osama, the founder of al-Qaeda's first women-only website, al-Khansa, joined several others on the programme to discuss how they renounced jihadist ideology. Among those who sought a response to this question was an imam from the Medina mosque, Saleh Ibn Awad al-Mudamsi, and the father of a young al-Qaeda suspect held in an Iraqi prison. Read More Qaeda Targets U.S. Oil Interests in North Africa U.S.... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040058/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 02:02:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042939/posts Three German mountaineers were kidnapped by terrorists in Turkey's eastern province of Agri, the state-run Anatolian Agency reported Wednesday quoting the governor. (UPDATED) PKK terrorists seized the climbers, part of a group of 13 mountaineers, as they were ascending the mountain in Agri province, provincial governor Mehmet Cetin told the AA. "The terrorists said they carried out this action because of the German government's recent moves against PKK associations and sympathizers," the Anatolian Agency reported the Governor Mehmet Cetin as saying. Cetin said the terrorists kidnapped the three late on Tuesday, adding the gendarmerie had launched a wide-scale search and... Hot News Turkey http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042939/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 15:39:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014614/posts The Iranian sister organization of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has accused the United States of indirectly supporting the Teheran regime’s war against the rebels. Head of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), Haji Ahmedi, declared that the U.S. provided aerial reconnaissance intelligence to Turkey which was then passed through Ankara to Teheran. On May first, Turkish warplanes bombarded PKK positions in the Kandil Mountains. According to Turkish military sources, 150 PKK rebels were killed in that action. Turkish media speculated that the attacks also killed PKK military chief Murat Karayilan. The PJAK, however, denied these reports claiming only... Watching America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014614/posts#comment Mon, 12 May 2008 02:19:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995304/posts Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995304/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 03:13:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981084/posts Petraeus: Al Qaida Trying to 'Come Back In' U.S. military officials said there will be no significant reduction in coalition troops in the Baghdad area as part of an effort to stop the Al Qaida offensive in northern Iraq. They said Al Qaida was trying to reenter Baghdad and reverse its losses in 2007. "Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground." Read More Militants Assert... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981084/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 01:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978292/posts CUKURCA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's military said Friday it has ended a ground offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, but said that foreign influence did not play a role in its decision. At least 200 trucks carrying Turkish troops were seen leaving the Iraqi border area and heading into Turkey's interior. The move came a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Turkish leaders during a visit in Ankara that they should end the offensive as soon as possible. In Washington, President Bush made a similar point Thursday, saying Turkey needed to move quickly and get out. "Both the start... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978292/posts#comment Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:12:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1977577/posts ANKARA, Turkey - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he told his Turkish counterpart on Thursday that Turkey should end its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq as soon as possible, but that the U.S. is making no threats against its NATO ally if it fails to comply. "The United States believes the current offensive should be as short and precisely targeted as possible," Gates said after a meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul. Gates said that a specific timetable for the Turks to stop their attack "did not come up during my meeting with the defense minister," but... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1977577/posts#comment Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:09:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976381/posts WASHINGTON -- The Turkish government briefed the Bush administration about its plans to strike northern Iraq well in advance of launching the controversial operation and the U.S. raised no objections, according to American and Turkish officials. Turkish representatives told U.S. diplomatic and military officials that Ankara was planning to send ground troops into Iraq to strike targets belonging to the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, an anti-Turkish guerilla group, according to officials from both countries. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan personally told President Bush about the plans, the officials said. The White House confirmed the conversation occurred. "In terms of... Wall Stret Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976381/posts#comment Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:22:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975704/posts Turkey’s decision to send ground forces into northern Iraq, its biggest incursion into the Kurdish territories across its border for a decade, may be an understandable response to the reviving campaign by rebel separatists hiding there. But it is the last thing an Iraq trying to claw itself back from the precipice needs. The palpable improvement in the security situation in Iraq over the past year is fragile and uneven. Any destabilisation of Iraqi Kurdistan, the only relatively calm area of the country, could put paid to what is only a small chance that improvement can be turned into a... Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975704/posts#comment Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975698/posts CIZRE, Turkey: The Turkish Army on Sunday warned Iraqi Kurds not to shelter Kurdish rebels fleeing its military offensive in northern Iraq, as Baghdad labeled the incursion a "threat" to its sovereignty. As fighting intensified, the army said it had killed another 33 militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), taking the rebel toll, according to Turkish figures, to 112 since the cross-border incursion began Thursday evening. PKK rebels "are trying to flee southward in panic," the general staff said in a statement. "Local Iraqi groups are expected to prevent members of the terrorist organization - the biggest enemy of... By Agence France Presse (AFP) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975698/posts#comment Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:01:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975424/posts BALINDA, Iraq, Feb. 23 -- The Iraqi Kurdish soldiers stood at the edge of the collapsed steel bridge and looked down into the teal waters rushing below. The last sign of the Iraqi government, a small border checkpoint, was far behind them down in the river valley. Ahead were snow-dusted mountains, abandoned villages and more bridges bombed by Turkish warplanes. The soldiers were at least 15 miles from Turkey's border. They could go no farther. It is in these rugged, largely inaccessible mountains along the border, an area inside Iraq but uncontrolled by any nation, that Turkish soldiers are fighting... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975424/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:21:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975407/posts ZAKHU, Iraq, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Angered by heavy shelling and aerial bombardments, Kurds in northern Iraq's mountainous provinces vowed to defend themselves against Turkish attacks on Sunday, and accused Turkey's troops of targeting their villages. Turkish troops backed by warplanes and artillery crossed into Iraq's largely autonomous northern Kurdistan region last Thursday, to rout Kurdish separatist rebels who have hideouts in the mountains from which they launch attacks in southern Turkey. As Turkish forces pressed on with the incursion on Sunday, pickup trucks and minibuses full of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga security forces were patrolling the region's snow-covered mountain roads.... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975407/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:48:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975405/posts AS fighting rages across the nearby Turkish-Iraqi border between a Turkish expeditionary force and rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Kurds in this Turkish town at the heart of the conflict say they are fed up with the violence and long to lead "normal" lives. "We want to live normal lives and not fear for our future," said Mehmet Demir, a Turkish Kurd. "Personally, I hope the army wipes out the PKK this time: it will be the best for everyone - Kurds and Turks." The town of Cizre - population 80,000 - is located in Sirnak province, 45... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975405/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:45:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975404/posts TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it had reinforced its border security after Turkey launched an offensive in north Iraq against Kurdish rebels, a move an analyst said was likely aimed at stopping rebels hiding in Iran. Iranian forces have also often clashed in Iraqi border areas with rebels from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), an offshoot of the PKK and which analysts say has bases in northeastern Iraq from where they operate against Iran. "Necessary measures have already been taken to reinforce our borders," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a weekly news conference.... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975404/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:42:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975352/posts Excerpt - ZAKHU, Iraq, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Kurdish PKK guerrillas said on Sunday they had shot down a Turkish Cobra attack helicopter during clashes with Turkish forces in northern Iraq. "At 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) yesterday, our fighters shot down a Cobra helicopter," Ahmed Danees, head of foreign relations for the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), told Reuters by telephone. He gave no details of casualties but said more information would be released later. The incident had occurred during fighting in the remote Chamsku area close to the border, Danees said. ~ snip ~ Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1975352/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:58:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974380/posts Turkey launches ground operation in Iraq By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago Turkish troops have launched a ground incursion across the border into Iraq in pursuit of separatist Kurdish rebels, the military said Friday — a move that dramatically escalates Turkey's conflict with the militants. It's the first confirmed ground operation by the Turkish military into Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and it raised concerns that it could trigger a wider conflict with the U.S.-backed Iraqi Kurds. The ground operation started after Turkish warplanes and artillery bombed suspected rebel targets on Thursday, the... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974380/posts#comment Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:41:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973010/posts Walking through the Sur district of Diyarbakir with Abdullah Demirbas was like taking an old-fashioned mayoral stroll. As the day got under way in one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey, Demirbas passed through the narrow stone alleys, and one by one, shopkeepers stepped outside and waved. In return, Demirbas patted his chest and called out loud greetings. He stopped to compliment a cafe owner’s new door frames, asked a trio of women if they were satisfied with the trash collection and teased some kids about getting to school on time. Demirbas addressed most of the locals in Kurdish,... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973010/posts#comment Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:15:42 GMT