Many dead in Turkey after clashes between the PKK and the armed forces of Turkey
Many dead in Turkey after clashes between the PKK and the armed forces of Turkey
Joachim de Villiers and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Kurdish rebels and the armed forces of Turkey have clashed after Kurdish rebels launched an attack against a border post. It is currently known that 19 people have been killed in clashes between both forces. Given the destabilization of Syria by outside nations including Turkey, then Kurdish rebels can feel these momentous changes directly.
In the past the government of Turkey stated that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was a terrorist organization. However, the actions of Turkey with regards to their invasion of Northern Cyprus and the destruction of thousands of Kurdish villages in the past, means that from the alternative perspective the nation of Turkey is deemed a nation of “terror” within the powerful institutions of this nation. Also, with Turkey supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to launch terrorist attacks against Syrian government ministers, journalists, the armed forces of Syria and other brutal deeds – then the “terrorist” terminology by Ankara, Washington, London, Paris, Riyadh and Doha is obviously redundant. Sadly this means that innocent civilians in Turkey and Syria will continue to suffer because of the policies of major nations which are fostering the military and political angle.
The PKK is also fully aware that tensions exist between Iraq and Turkey and with energy contracts involving American and Turkish companies bypassing Baghdad, then the PKK is rightly concerned. After all, the PKK fears that economic incentives for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will lead to a major clampdown against the PKK in northern Iraq. Also, if Turkey and fellow allies in America and Saudi Arabia get their way then the government of Bashar al-Assad will be overthrown. If this happens, then Turkey will be hoping for a compliant government in Damascus. However, nobody currently knows the final conclusion to what will happen in Syria. Therefore, the PKK may deem it important to create areas of vulnerability for the armed forces of Turkey, while at the same time “driving home” their political demands within the body politic of this country.
The PKK attacked the armed forces of Turkey with rocket launchers in the province of Hakkari. However, unlike the government of Syria which is lambasted for using its military hardware, the government of Turkey immediately used its military jets in order to attack the PKK and not a peep is coming out of the Obama administration in Washington. This is the quagmire which is engulfing the region because you have so many tensions in Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and Yemen in the Middle East. Also, in North Africa it is clear that Libya, northern Mali, Tunisia and other nations are being engulfed by respective specifics. Algeria also is faced with the “Berber Question” and the brutal civil war in the past between central forces and Islamists still remains an undercurrent which could be re-ignited. Likewise, Egypt remains weak and you still have a power struggle between political chambers and the military. Within all of this you have the “Kurdish Question,”the “Palestinian Question” and the role of Israel within the political landscape.
Therefore, the ongoing events in Iraq and Syria are impacting greatly on the PKK and other areas within the Kurdish internal power struggle. Not surprisingly, the PKK is deeply concerned by these events because if Turkey strengthens its political and economic ties with the KRG in Iraq and a compliant state emerges in Damascus, then this will weaken the cause of the PKK. Also, if everything goes to plan in the long-term for political strategists within the current government of Turkey – then it is only a matter of time before this leads to more pressure on the PKK.
In the latest attack in Hakkari province in Turkey it is known that at least six soldiers of the armed forces of Turkey were killed and fifteen soldiers were injured. Likewise, it is reported that the PKK lost 11 fighters. The latest attack is following a similar pattern whereby the PKK is appearing to be emboldened by all problems which are hitting the Middle East and North Africa. Also, with so much focus in Ankara being put on the destabilization of Syria then the focus is heavily on events in Damascus and Aleppo in Syria.
The PKK is fighting for regional autonomy and the equality of Kurds within the body politic of Turkey. This means that the PKK wants to end institutional discrimination and the infringements of the rights of Kurds in Turkey. Of course, the government of Turkey rejects this and believes that political and institutional changes must come from within. Also, the PKK is deemed to be a “terrorist organization” by political leaders in Ankara but this reality is unraveling because of the role of Turkey in supporting the destabilization of Syria.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is the current Prime Minister of Turkey commented that the PKK attack was a“dastardly assault.” He also stated that Turkey is a nation which is “powerful enough to bring into line enemy-country (puppet masters) – who hold the strings of the terror organization.” Erdogan further commented that “Terrorism is, sooner or later, doomed to lose and to go up in smoke in the face of the people’s resolve and determination.” If Erdogan believes this then why are terrorist organizations being allowed to use Turkey in order to attack Syria? However, returning to the internal affairs of Turkey, then it is clear that the armed forces of this nation are intent on crushing the military angle of the PKK.
Two thousand soldiers from the armed forces of Turkey have been sent to Hakkari province in order to force the PKK back. Yet in the past the PKK managed to survive despite all the odds. Erdogan may just wake up to the fact that Turkey is opening up “a can of worms” in Syria and this applies to raising the “Kurdish Question” to an even higher level.
