Kurdish Militant Leader Abdullah Ocalan: War With Turkey Nearing An End

Abdullah Öcalan. (Photo: DHA)

Jailed Kurdish Leader Says War With Turkey Nearing End: Firatnews -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan said his movement's 30-year war with Turkey's government was nearing its end through democratic negotiations, Firatnews agency reported.

Ankara began peace talks with the Kurdish leader in 2012 in a bid to end a 30-year-old insurgency which has killed 40,000 people, riven the country and battered its economy. A ceasefire called by Ocalan in March 2013 has largely held.

"This 30-year war is nearing its end through democratic negotiations," Ocalan told pro-Kurdish lawmakers visiting him in prison on Aug. 15, the 30th anniversary of launch of the revolt by his the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Firatnews reported on Saturday.

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Update: Kurdish leader: PKK conflict with Turkey ‘coming to an end’ -- Al Arabiya/AFP

My Comment: Turkey has changed. The Kurds have changed. The entire Middle East has changed. So the possibility that the Turkish - Kurdish conflict will come to an end should not surprise anyone.

First Kurdish Rebels Enter Iraq After Turkish Peace Deal

PKK Fighters Arrive In Iraq Under Peace Deal -- Al Jazeera

First batch of Kurdish fighters withdrawing from Turkey received by their comrades in northern Iraq.

The first group of Kurdish fighters to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process has entered northern Iraq.

The 13 men and women arrived in the area of Heror near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border on Tuesday and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency.

They were carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, light machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers and had rucksacks on their backs.

After the welcome, the apparently-exhausted fighters put down their weapons and warmed themselves at a fire.

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More News On PKK Fighters Arriving In Iraq

First Kurdish rebels reach Iraq under Turkish peace plan -- Reuters
First Withdrawing Kurdish Rebels Reach Iraq -- Voice of America
First Kurdish fighters from Turkey arrive in Iraq -- Global Post/AFP
First PKK fighters arrive in Iraq -- UPI
Kurd fighters from Turkey arrive in Iraq -- The Australian
First PKK Fighters From Turkey Arrive In Iraq -- Radio Free Europe
Kurdish rebels find safe haven in Iraq after Turkish truce -- Deutsche Welle

My Comment: Not surprising .... Iraq is not happy with this influx of heavily armed Kurdish fighters. But to add fuel to the fire .... this is what the Iraqis are really upset about.

Kurdish Rebel Leader Calls For Ceasefire

Photo: Ocalan has been in jail since 1999

PKK Leader Calls For Ceasefire In Turkey -- Al Jazeera

Declaration by jailed Abdullah Ocalan raises hope of ending 30-year-old conflict which claimed about 40,000 lives.

Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has issued a long-awaited cease-fire declaration that would be a major step towards ending a 30-year conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives in Turkey.

The ceasefire announced on Thursday, which coincides with the Kurdish New Year, or Newroz, also calls for the withdrawal of PKK likely to bases in northern Iraq.

In Ocalan's letter read out by members of parliament, Pervin Buldan, in Kurdish, and Sirri Sureyya Onder, in Turkish, he said: "In the presence of millions of witnesses, I’m telling you, let a new process begin. No to weapons, yes to politics.

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More News Jailed Kurdish Rebel Leader Abdullah Ocalan Calling For A Ceasefire

Kurd rebel leader orders fighters to cease fighting, leave Turkey -- Reuters
Jailed Kurdish Leader Ocalan Calls for Cease-Fire -- Bloomberg
Kurdish Leader Abdullah Ocalan Declares Ceasefire With Turkey -- The Guardian
Kurdish rebel leader calls for ceasefire -- The Australian
Jailed Kurdish Rebel Calls on Fighters to Leave Turkey -- Voice of America
Turkey Kurds: PKK chief Ocalan calls for ceasefire -- BBC
Is it time for peace in Turkey? -- Mahmut Hamsici, BBC

Turkey's War Against Kurdish Guerrillas Continues

Turkey Says 15 Women Rebels Killed -- BBC

Fifteen Kurdish militants, all of them women, have died in fighting with Turkish security forces, officials say.

The women were members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and died in fighting in the south-eastern Bitlis province, the interior ministry said.

Bitlis is a stronghold of the banned PKK, which wants autonomy in Turkey's largely Kurdish south-east.

Tensions have risen lately following street protests by thousands of Kurds to mark the Kurdish New Year, Novruz.

Correspondents say the death toll is believed to be the highest number of female PKK members killed at any one time.

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More News On The Turkish-Kurdish Conflict

15 Rebel Kurds, All Women, Killed in Turkey -- New York Times/AFP
Turkish forces kill 15 Kurdish women fighters -- Al Jazeera
Turkish Forces Kill 15 Women Kurd Rebels -- Voice of America
Turkish security forces kill 15 PKK rebels -- CNN
Kurd militants threaten Turkey if it enters Syria -- Reuters
Turkey blames Syria for supporting Kurdish rebels, inches closer to military action -- Haaretz
Turkey eyes Syrian crisis through lens of Kurdish stability -- The National
Kurdish PKK rebels and police killed in Turkey clashes -- BBC
Rebellious days: A fresh wave of protests shows how far Turkey is from pacifying its Kurds -- The Economist

Turkish Fighter Jets Bomb Kurdish PKK Positions In Iraq

Photo: © REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkey Strikes Suspected PKK Targets In N.Iraq -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters

ANKARA, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes carried
out air strikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in
northern Iraq overnight, Turkey's general staff said on Sunday.

In a brief statement on its website, it said warplanes had struck the Zab and Hakurk areas, targeting caves and hideouts belonging to the "separatist terror organisation",
a term used by the government to describe the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

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More News On Turkish Attacks On Kurdish PKK Positions In Iraq

Turkish jets hit suspected rebel targets in Iraq -- AP
Turkey 'bombs Iraq hideouts of Kurdish rebels PKK' -- BBC
Turkish fighter jets target militants in northern Iraq, military says -- CNN
Turkish clashes with PKK militants kill 14 -- Reuters
Turkish jets bomb Kurdish rebel bases in north Iraq -- AFP
Turkish air raids aimed at Kurds in Iraq -- UPI

Turkey's Campaign Against Kurdish Rebels Continues

Turkish Military: 49 Rebels Killed In Fighting In Southeast -- Washington Post/AP

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish troops have killed at least 49 Kurdish rebels in a valley near the Iraqi border, the military said Saturday, as hundreds of troops also pursued Kurdish fighters within northern Iraq.

The rebels were killed in offensives in the past two days in the Kazan Valley region, near the town of Cukurca that borders Iraq, the military said in a statement posted on its website. There was no confirmation of the deaths from the rebel group.

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More News On The Turkish - Kurdish Conflict

Turkish forces 'kill 49 Kurdish rebels' -- BBC
Turkey Says 49 Kurdish Rebels Dead -- Voice of America
Provoked by a New Attack, Turkey Takes the Fight to Kurdish Separatists -- Time
Turkey orders 22 battalions into battle against Kurdish rebels in Iraq -- National Post
Turkey and Iran 'collaborating against Kurdish rebels' -- BBC
Turkey's Kurds long for "Kurdish Spring" -- Reuters

Turkey And Iran Cooperating In Their War Against Kurdish Rebels

Turkey And Iran 'Collaborating Against Kurdish Rebels' -- BBC

Turkey and Iran have vowed to co-operate to defeat separatist Kurdish militants, on the third day of a Turkish offensive on its Iraq border.

The Kurdish militants posed a "common problem" for Turkey and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on an unscheduled trip to Ankara.

Turkey vowed jointly to "totally eliminate" the "terrorist threat".

Turkey's latest offensive was triggered by rebel attacks which killed 24 Turkish soldiers on Tuesday.

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More News On The Turkish/Iran/Kurdish Conflict

Turkey, Iran vow to collaborate against Kurdish rebels together as Turkish offensive proceeds -- Washington Post/AP
Turkey presses PKK hunt, Iran pledges cooperation -- Reuters
Turkey and Iran to co-operate against PKK -- Al Jazeera
Turkey, Iran to continue cooperation on national security: FM -- Xinhuanet
Turkey to Work With Iran Amid Attack Against PKK in North Iraq -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Turkish Warplanes Bomb Rebel Bases In Iraq, Ankara Seeks Iranian Support -- Radio Free Europe

Turkish air, ground forces hit PKK bases -- UPI
Turkey pounds Kurdish rebel bases -- Sydney Morning Herald
Turkey Deploys Thousands in Pursuit of Kurdish Rebels -- New York Times

Turkey's War Against The Kurds Is Heating Up

An Endless War: Turkey’s Long-Running Battle With Kurdish Separatists Is Intensifying, Again -- The Economist

SHOULD the Turks and Kurds live together? The answer from many of Turkey’s restive Kurds has long been no. A vicious separatist campaign launched by rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been raging since 1984. In recent months the PKK has stepped up its attacks, killing dozens of Turkish soldiers in and beyond the predominantly Kurdish south-east. Most recently, on July 20th, a Kurdish raid near the town of Cukurca killed six Turkish troops and injured at least 15.

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More News On the Turkish - Kurd Conflict

Suspected Kurd rebels blow up Iran-Turkey gas pipeline -- AFP
Kurdish rebel group claims responsibility for gas pipeline blast -- CNN
Turkey softens anti-terrorism law used to jail Kurdish minors involved in violent protests -- Canadian Press
Kurdish rebels kill 7 Turkish soldiers -- AP
Seeking out the PKK gunmen in Iraq's remote mountains -- BBC
Kurdish rebels offer to disarm for rights in Turkey -- AFP
We need a deal, not war, with the PKK -- Mustafa Akyol, Hurriyet Daily News

Kurdish Rebels Attack Turkish Base Killing 7

Turkish soldiers on patrol near the Turkey-Iraq border in the
mainly Kurdish southeastern province. Photo AFP

Turkish Rebels Hit Military Base, Kill 6 -- UPI

ANKARA, Turkey, July 20 (UPI) -- Kurdish rebels attacked a Turkish military unit near the Iraqi border, killing six soldiers, officials said.

Officials said the Kurdistan Workers' Party militants attacked the unit Monday near the border town of Cukurca, Radio France Internationale reported Tuesday.

Several soldiers were wounded in the skirmish, but officials said they didn't know about casualties among insurgents, officials said.

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More News On The Conflict Between Turkey And The Kurds

Kurdish rebels kill 7 Turkish soldiers -- AP
Turkish-PKK Fighting Near the Border With Iraq Leaves Seven Soldiers Dead -- Bloomberg
Six Turkish soldiers killed in Kurdish rebel attack -- AFP
11 soldiers, 1 civilian injured in mine blast in SE Turkey -- People's Daily
Turkey's tourist resorts threatened with terrorist campaign -- The Telegraph
Foreign Office issues terrorism warning to British travellers in Turkey -- The Daily Mail
TURKEY: Kurdish teenager convicted as terrorist for attending demonstration -- L.A. Times
PKK mole inside Turkish military? -- UPI
Turkey's own drones make first flight on Turkish-Iraqi border -- World Bulletin
Report: Turkish military prosecutors probe alleged plot to disrupt drone spying on Kurds -- Canadian Press
Calls for peace mount as violence continues in Turkey -- Daily News Hurriyet

Turkey's Kurds Are Voicing Concerns On A Return To War

Kurdish women symbolically chain themselves with a plastic chain as they protest the arrest of Kurdish politicians by the Turkish government. (Iason Athanasiadis/GlobalPost)

Turkey Crackdown Could Renew Fight, Kurd Rebels Say -- Reuters

AKOYAN, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish militants could end a truce and renew fighting against Turkish forces because a ban of Turkey's main Kurdish party has made a political settlement more remote, the rebels' commander said.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) expects the Turkish army to begin operations in the Spring thaw in the mountains of north Iraq, where the group is based, Murat Karayilan, deputy to jailed PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan, said in an interview.

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More News On The Conflict Between Turkey And It's Kurdish Population

Ankara warns Kurds against new year unrest -- UPI
Turkey crackdown could renew fight, Kurd rebels say -- The Star Online
Kurds in Turkey celebrate amid increased security -- Taiwan News
Turkey marks Flashpoint Kurdish Day -- IOL
PKK would disarm if Ocalan is freed -- Arab News
Ankara welcomes arrests of PKK activists in West -- The National
Turkey troubled by Kurds -- Global Post

Turkish Army Says Kills 375 PKK Members In N. Iraq Since October

From World Bulletin:

Turkish army said that the casualties of the PKK in the northern part of Iraq had reached nearly 375 since October 2008.

Turkish army said that the casualties of the PKK in air operations and artillery fires in the northern part of Iraq had reached nearly 375 since October 2008.

Gen. Metin Gurak, head of the communication department of the General Staff, said at the weekly press briefing that PKK lost 375 members as a result of operations by Turkish security forces.

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My Comment: These are Turkish numbers .... the PKK may have different numbers .... but it does reflect the increase in fighting and troop surges in the Kurdish areas of Turkey.

With winter ending, I expect an increase in fighting. With their safe havens in Iraq, and with U.S. forces leaving the region, the Kurds are going to increase their military operations against Turkish forces.

How Turkey responds to this increase in militancy will determine how big this civil war is going to be .... my prediction .... it is going to be widespread and bloody.

Kurdish Rebels In Iraq Declare 9-Day Cease-Fire

From Yahoo News/AP:

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq – A Kurdish rebel group on Sunday declared a nine-day holiday cease-fire in their fight against Turkey, a spokesman said, calling it a "first step toward peace."

The unilateral cease-fire will begin Monday as the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha gets under way, according to Ahmed Deniz, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has bases in northern Iraq.

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Turkish - Kurd War Is Heating Up Again

A PKK rebel on his way to a guerilla camp at Haqourki Mountain. Twenty-five Kurdish rebels were killed and a number wounded in a Turkish air strike last week targeting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq, an army spokesman has said
(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer)

Turkish Air Raid Kills 25 Kurdish Rebels: Army
-- Yahoo News/AFP

ANKARA (AFP) – Twenty-five Kurdish rebels were killed and a number were wounded in a Turkish air strike last week targeting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq, an army spokesman said on Friday.

The army received "corroborating reports from various intelligence sources that 25 terrorists were neutralised in the October 17 air raid," General Metin Gurak, the head of the general staff's press department, told a news conference here.

Many rebels were also wounded in the strike targeting the mountainous region of Qandil, a major PKK stronghold near the border between Iraq and Turkey, added Gurak, who offered no estimates on the number of wounded.

A news agency close to the rebels had claimed at the time that four militants -- members of an Iranian Kurdish separatist organisation linked to the PKK -- had been killed in the raid.

A further 17 PKK rebels were killed in security operations inside Turkey in the past week, Gurak said.

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My Comment: Turkey is now losing control of its eastern-southern provinces. It os only through a heavy ,military presence that some form of peace is maintained .... but it is clear that resentment is building in the region with no political solution in sight.

Keeping The Peace In Iraq's Kurdish Regions

Kurdish Womens Units In Training (Photo from Hevallo)

US Referees Iraq's Troubled Kurdish-Arab Fault Line
-- Christian Science Monitor

At a flash point for violence, an Army general plays diplomat.

Khanaqin, Iraq - Their body language spoke volumes. The Kurdish mayor took another call on his mobile phone, the Shiite provincial governor leafed absentmindedly through a newspaper. They would rather not be seeing each other at all.

But Khanaqin was the center of a recent face-off between Kurdish and Iraqi Army forces that threatened a much wider conflict, along a 300-mile fault line that divides the Kurdish lands of northern Iraq from the rest of the country.

And US Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling brought these officials together last week, to make peace, deepen ties between this Kurdish enclave and the state, and to temper chances of any future clash with diplomacy.

General Hertling broke the ice between the two with a joke about his last visit, and the thankless task of peacemaking between Kurds and Arabs.

"Everyone said I did bad things when I was here," says the commander of US-led forces in northern Iraq, provoking laughter. "All of the reporters in Baghdad were calling me a lover of the Kurds, and all the newspapers in the Kurdish region were calling me an Arab chauvinist. So for a while I didn't know which way I should go."

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My Comment: A large portion of the Kurdish population has always wanted their own independent state. If the U.S. was not acting as the buffer, both sides would probably be in a shooting situation right now.

Turkish Planes Hit 31 PKK Targets In N.Iraq: Army

(Map Form the Washington Institute)

From The Washington Post:

ANKARA/ARBIL (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes and artillery attacked 31 Kurdish rebel bases on Friday as part of a week-long operation in northern Iraq after an attack that killed 17 Turkish soldiers, the military said.

Ahmed Danees, spokesman for the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq, said that new shelling had taken place in mountainous areas inside Iraq for about an hour on Saturday but gave no further details.

The Turkish president said on Saturday for the first time publicly that Ankara was talking to the Iraqi Kurdish government about acting against the PKK, which launches attacks on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq.

Turkey has in the past publicly shunned the Iraqi Kurds, blaming them for not doing enough to drive out the PKK, and said it was dealing with the central government in Baghdad.

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Turkish - Kurdish War Is Heating Up

Turkey Re-Authorizes Strikes In Iraq -- New York Times

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to extend by one year its authorization of military operations against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq, keeping the door open to future strikes in the region.

The approval, by a vote of 497 to 18, had been largely expected, and occurred amid a flurry of attacks in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast. Seventeen Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack on a border post late last week, and Turkey responded with several days of air strikes in Iraqi territory. A fresh attack on Wednesday killed five police officers and wounded 19 others on the outskirts of Diyarbakir in the southeast.

Turkey, a NATO member, has been fighting Kurdish separatists in its southeast since the 1980s, though the conflict has died down substantially in recent years. An attack on a border post last year set off a political confrontation between Turkey and Iraq, with Turkey conducting air strikes and a brief ground operation into Iraq.

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More News On The Turkey/Kurd Conflict

Turkey extends authorization of military strikes in Iraq -- International herald Tribune
Five killed in attack on police bus in Turkey -- Reuters
Turkish parliament extends mandate on Iraq strikes -- AFP
Turkey backs PKK Iraq raid mandate -- Al Jazeera
Turkish lawmakers debate Kurd raids -- CNN