Turks vs Kurds Escalating

[x-factor]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071021/...a/turkey_kurds

Kurdish ambush kills dozens of Turkish soldiers...

"The soldiers died when rebels blew up a bridge as a 12-vehicle military convoy was crossing it, less than three miles from the Iraq border, CNN-Turk television said. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said the military had circled a group of rebels, killed 23 of them and were shelling their positions."

[nmap]

It sounds as if the Kurds are trying to provoke the Turks; but that doesn't seem like a good idea. Perhaps they think the U.S. will prevent any Turkish incursion...but it seems like a risky game.

[The antihero]

The perps were the PKK though. These are just a fraction among the Kurds. The communist fraction in case you are wondering.

[peepee1]

Originally Posted by x-factor

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071021/...a/turkey_kurds

Kurdish ambush kills dozens of Turkish soldiers...

"The soldiers died when rebels blew up a bridge as a 12-vehicle military convoy was crossing it, less than three miles from the Iraq border, CNN-Turk television said. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said the military had circled a group of rebels, killed 23 of them and were shelling their positions."

Like no one saw this coming...

[hoot72]

Originally Posted by The antihero

The perps were the PKK though. These are just a fraction among the Kurds. The communist fraction in case you are wondering.

Do we know for a fact it was the PKK? I would imagine more concrete proof would be needed dont you think?

[Kyobanim]

According to the WH, yes it is the PPK doing this.

[hoot72]

Originally Posted by Kyobanim

According to the WH, yes it is the PPK doing this.

Ok..fair enough...was wondering if someone else was trying to instigate a war up north...given how close Iran is to all this.

[Ret10Echo]

An extract from a BBC story. The Weblink also includes a 5 minute video.

R10



Rendezvous with the PKK

Following the double bomb attack in Istanbul at the weekend, the spotlight has turned on the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. The BBC's Clive Myrie tells how he recently travelled to northern Iraq to put allegations of terrorism to the group's leader.

We set off early in the morning, unsure exactly where we would end up - though we knew we were heading towards the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq.

It is classic bandit country and home to one of the world's most durable guerrilla groups - the Kurdish separatist PKK.

We were told not to bring any TV equipment. As you can imagine, this is not what a TV correspondent and crew want to hear.

"Don't worry, they will provide everything," my contact kept telling me.

The PKK were taking no chances, after the assassination of one tribal leader in Afghanistan with an explosive device placed inside a TV camera back in 2001.

To get to the PKK you have to cross Kurdish Regional Government or KRG checkpoints - we kept a low profile in the back of the car as we drove through.

...................


'Struggling for rights'

The scene was like something out of 1960s South America. There were men and women all around in this green lush village wearing army fatigues, with Kalashnikov rifles slung over shoulders or propped against walls.


The image of Che Guevara graced the wooden butt of one AK........



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7530713.stm

[Ret10Echo]

Turkey hits Kurdish bases in Iraq

Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday and Thursday, Turkish officials say.

The raids came hours after the deaths of 10 Turkish soldiers in two separate attacks that were blamed on the rebels, the deadliest in months.

The banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been fighting for autonomy since 1984. Since then, the conflict has left more than 40,000 people dead.

The government has arrested 51 suspected PKK members this month.

Air force planes bombed targets in the Iraqi border regions of Zap and Avasin-Basyan in the overnight raids.

"The targets... have been hit effectively and with full accuracy," said a statement from the military that was quoted by AFP news agency.

On Wednesday, a powerful bomb blast killed nine soldiers in Diyarbakir in south-eastern Turkey. Suspected rebels also shot dead a soldier near the town of Semdinli, close to the border with Iraq.

Turkish warplanes have often targeted rebel hideouts in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, where Ankara says some 2,000 PKK guerrillas regularly stage hit-and-run attacks on Turkish territory.

Turkish army chief, General Ilker Basbug, on Wednesday once again urged Iraq's Kurdish regional government to expel the PKK from their territory, saying that "they must participate more actively" in efforts to curb the rebels.

Last November, Iraq, Turkey and the US formed a joint committee to assess and address the threat posed by the PKK fighters.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...pe/8026364.stm