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Friday, October 25, 2024

Kurdistan Workers' Party claims deadly Ankara attack

ONE MAN'S TERRORIST IS ANOTHER WOMAN'S ARMED STRUGGLE

The PKK has claimed responsibility for this week's attack on Turkish defense firm TUSAS that killed five people in Ankara, the militant group said in a statement.


Turkish President Erdogan has condemned the 'cowardly' attack
Image: AP/picture alliance

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Friday claimed an attack on a state-run Turkish defense firm in Ankara that killed five people and wounded 22 others earlier this week.

Two assailants carried out Wednesday's onslaught with automatic rifles and explosives on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in the Turkish capital.

"The act of sacrifice at TAI campus in Ankara at around 15:30 local time on Wednesday was carried out by a team of the immortals battalion" of the PKK, it said on Telegram, referring to Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Previously, the Turkish government had said it had proof the PKK was responsible while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack targeted "the survival of our country."

Turkey responds by striking PKK targets

A few hours after Wednesday's assault, the Turkish government launched airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq and Syria. The PKK has its headquarters in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

The group has waged an on-off insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is regarded as a terror group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Turkey blames Kurdish group for attack on defense firm  01:54


In 2011 President Erdogan supported backchannel peace efforts in a bid to resolve the issue but the fragile truce collapsed in 2015 in a fresh round of violence.

This prompted Erdogan's AKP government along with its junior partner, the far-right MHP, to change tack, ramping up military pressure on the Kurdish rebels.

jsi/wd (AFP, dpa, Reuters)


Turkey: Burials before possible talks with jailed PKK leader


Turkey has said it struck numerous PKK cells in response to a Wednesday terror attack in Ankara. 

Meanwhile, a deal could be in the works to free PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan if he vows to disband the group.



Victims of Wednesday's attack in Ankara were being buried as Turkish forces pummeled PKK sites in Syria and IraqImage: Adem Altan/AFP

Turkish officials attended the burials of five people killed in a terror attack Wednesday as Ankara responded by bombing numerous targets hours later.

At the same time, there are indications that jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan may be willing to renounce violence against the Turkish state and disband his organization.

The Wednesday attack targeted state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), killing five and injuring 22. Officials claimed it was "very likely” that the PKK was behind the incident.

Turkey announced that its forces had hit "47 terrorist targets” in Syria and Iraq overnight and pledged more attacks would follow.

Turkey, the EU and the US all label the PKK a terrorist organization.

Speaking from the BRICS summit in Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday's attack had only "strengthened Turkey's determination and resolve to eliminate terrorism."


Ocalan ready for a change after 25 years of solitary confinement?


All of this has played out against the backdrop of possible talks between Ankara and the jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan.

Ocalan, who co-founded the group, has been in solitary confinement at Istanbul's Imrali island prison since 1999.

On Tuesday, Devlet Bahceli, an ally of Erdogan and the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), suggested possible parole for Ocalan if he would renounce violence and disband the PKK.

Ocalan is serving a life sentence and was granted his first visit in more than four years this week.

After the visit, Ocalan's nephew Omer, a lawyer for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equity and Democracy Party (DEM) — the third largest party in Turkey's parliament — said his uncle was "in good health."

He also reported that Ocalan had given him a message, saying, "if conditions allow, I have the necessary theoretical and practical power to shift this process from the arena of conflict and violence to one of law and politics."

Media sources close to the government reported Ocalan as saying that he was, "ready to lay down his arms."

The DEM, whose support Erdogan needs if he is to see through his plan to change the Turkish constitution to allow himself to remain in power indefinitely, condemned Wednesday's attack, pointing out that it had come at a time when, "Turkish society was talking about a solution and the possibility of dialogue."

The most recent attempt at peace talks between the two sides failed in 2015, opening a bloody new chapter in a conflict that began in 1984.

The fight to establish an autonomous Kurdish state has claimed tens of thousands of lives since it began 40 years ago.



js/lo (AFP, dpa, Reuters)



Turkey buries attack victims after striking PKK

Ankara (AFP) – Turkey said it had proof that PKK militants were behind the deadly Ankara attack that claimed the lives of five people who were laid to rest Thursday after an emotional farewell.
The coffin of Murat Arslan, the taxi driver killed in Wednesday's attack, was carried by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, left, and parliamentary speaker Numan Kurtulmus 
© Adem ALTAN / AFP

Wednesday's shooting attack at the state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) came after days in which the government appeared to be leaning towards a resumption of dialogue with Kurdish militants.

After government ministers said they were "very likely" responsible, the military pounded PKK targets in Syria and Iraq overnight in raids that Kurdish militants in Syria said left 12 civilians dead.

And on Thursday investigators confirmed that both attackers, a man and a woman, were "PKK terrorists", Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.

Both appeared in CCTV images posted on X in which they are seen emerging from a taxi then firing assault rifles before entering the building in an attack that killed five and wounded 22 others.

Family members mourn the death of taxi driver Murat Arslan who was killed during Wednesday's attack on the TAI defence firm © Adem ALTAN / AFP

After flying in from Russia where he had attended the BRICS summit of major emerging economy nations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired a security meeting at Istanbul's old Ataturk airport.

There he was briefed by top diplomat Hakan Fidan, spy chief Ibrahim Kalin, the defence and interior ministers, the army chief, the head of Turkey's state Defence Industry Agency and top officials from his ruling AK party, the Anadolou news agency reported.

After a day in which the victims were laid to rest following mournful ceremonies, many attended by government representatives, Turkey appeared to be planning a tough response.

Security stepped up

With 14 of the 22 wounded still in hospital, security measures were stepped up at Istanbul's two international airports.

Overnight, the military struck "47 terrorist targets" in Syria and northern Iraq, the defence ministry said, claiming to have killed "59 terrorists" including two in senior positions.

Five people were killed in the attack, with taxi driver Murat Arslan shot dead by the attackers who stole his vehicle © Adem ALTAN / AFP

Kurdish sources in northern Syria said the strikes had killed 12 civilians and wounded 25 others.

The attack struck amid growing signs of a political thaw between Ankara and Kurdish militants.

Just hours before the attack, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan -- who has been jailed on a Turkish prison island in solitary confinement since 1999 -- received his first family visit in years.

His nephew, Omer Ocalan, a lawmaker for the main pro-Kurdish DEM party, confirmed the visit on X, saying the family had last seen him "on March 3, 2020".

The only other contact was a brief phone call in March 2021.
Earlier this month, demonstrators protested against the ongoing isolation of PKK head Abdullah Ocalan, who has been languishing in solitary confinement since 1999 © Ilyas AKENGIN / AFP/File

His uncle was "in good health" and had sent a message, saying: "If the conditions allow, I have the theoretical and practical power to shift this process from an arena of conflict and violence to one of law and politics."

Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist for the Hurriyet daily which is close to the government, said the meeting lasted two hours and that "Ocalan said he was ready to lay down his arms."

The visit came a day after Devlet Bahceli, head of the far-right MHP, which is close to Erdogan and fiercely hostile to the PKK, sparked shockwaves by inviting Ocalan to parliament to renounce terror and dissolve his movement.

DEM -- the third largest party in parliament -- said it was "noteworthy" that the TAI attack happened "just as Turkish society was talking about a solution and the possibility of dialogue".

Arrested on February 15, 1999 in Kenya by Turkish security forces after years on the run, Ocalan was brought back and tried but escaped execution after Turkey abolished capital punishment in 2004.

He has since lived in an isolation cell on Imrali prison island in the Sea of Marmara, turning 75 in April.

For many Kurds, Abdullah Ocalan is a hero © MICHEL GANGNE / AFP/File

In 1978 he founded the PKK which went on to spearhead a brutal insurgency that has killed tens of thousands in its fight for independence.

He first called for dialogue and a ceasefire in 2012 and again in 2013, before the bloody conflict resumed in 2015.

© 2024 AFP

Turkiye buries attack victims after striking PKK in Iraq, Syria

AFP Published October 25, 2024 
ANKARA: Family members and relatives mourn next to the coffins of people who were killed in an attack on the state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries building, on Thursday. Turkish forces struck PKK militants in Iraq and Syria, whom Ankara blamed for Wednesday’s assault that killed five people and injured 22 others.—AFP

• Kurdish sources claim strikes killed 12 civilians, wounded 25 others

• Erdogan says Ankara attack ‘further strengthens resolve to eliminate terrorism’

ANKARA: The first Ankara attack victims were being buried on Thursday, just hours after Turkiye struck PKK militants in Iraq and Syria whom it blames for the assault on a defence firm that killed five.

As the dust settled after Wednesday’s deadly att­ack on the state-run Tur­kish Aerospace Industries (TAI) that also left 22 injured, Turkiye pointed the finger at Kurdish militants as “very likely” responsible.

Turkish investigators said both attackers were “PKK terrorists”, identifying them as a man called Ali Orek, codename “Rojger”, and a woman called Mine Sevjin Alcicek, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.



Both appeared in CCTV images posted on X in which they are seen emerging from a taxi then firing assault rifles before entering the building.

The taxi driver, whom they killed, was buried on Thursday at a funeral attended by Yerlikaya and parliamentary speaker Numan Kurtulmus.

Of the 22 people hurt in the attack, eight had been discharged, while the other 14 remained in hospital, Turkiye’s health ministry said.

Security stepped up

Istanbul’s two main airports have since stepped up security, the DHA news agency and private NTV channel reported.

Sabiha Gokcen airport, which is located on the Asian side of the city, told passengers to arrive “at least three hours” early to avoid delays due to increased security.

Overnight, the defence ministry said the military struck “47 terrorist targets” in Syria and northern Iraq and pledged the raids would continue. Kurdish sources in northern Syria said the strikes had killed 12 civilians and wounded 25 others.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in Russia attending the BRICS summit of major emerging economy nations, said the attack had “further strengthened Turkiye’s determination and resolve to eliminate terrorism”.

The attack happened amid growing signs of a political thaw between Ankara and Kurdish militants.

Just hours beforehand, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan — who has been jailed on a Turkish prison island in solitary confinement since 1999 — received his first family visit in years.

Ready to lay down arms?

His nephew, Omer Ocalan, who is a lawmaker for the main pro-Kurdish DEM party, confirmed the visit on X, and said the family had last seen him “on March 3, 2020”. The only other contact was a brief phone call in March 2021.

His uncle was “in good health” and had sent a message about the ongoing “political developments”, saying: “If the conditions allow, I have the necessary theoretical and practical power to shift this process from an arena of conflict and violence to one of law and politics.”


According to Abdul­kadir Selvi, a columnist for the Hurriyet daily which is close to the government, during the two-hour meeting “Ocalan said he was ready to lay down his arms”.

On Tuesday, Devlet Bahceli, head of the far-right MHP, which is fiercely hostile to the PKK and belongs to Erdogan’s ruling coalition, sparked shockwaves by inviting Ocalan to parliament to renounce terror and dissolve his movement.

After the attack, DEM — the third largest party in parliament — condemned the violence but said it was “noteworthy” it happened “just as Turkish society was talking about a solution and the possibility of di
alogue”.

Arrested on February 15, 1999 in the Kenyan capital Nairobi following a Hollywood-style operation by Turkish security forces after years on the run, Ocalan was brought to Turkiye for trial and sentenced to death.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024



At least a dozen civilians killed in Turkish strikes, says Kurdish-led Syria force

At least 12 civilians were killed in Turkish air strikes in northeastern Syria on Thursday, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The attack comes a day after Turkey launched air strikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria, blaming them for an attack that killed five people at a defence firm near Ankara.


Issued on: 24/10/2024 - 
By: NEWS WIRES
Turkish police officers secure part of a main road in Kahramankazan, about 40 kilometres north of Ankara, on October 23, 2024. 
© Adem Altan, AFP


The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Thursday that Turkish air strikes killed 12 civilians in northeastern Syria, following a deadly attack on a defence firm near Ankara.

"Over the past hours... a new wave of (Turkish) attacks on northern and eastern Syria" killed "12 civilians, including two children", and wounded 25 others, a statement from the US-backed force said.

"In addition to populated areas, Turkish warplanes and UAVs (drones) targeted bakeries, power stations, oil facilities and (Kurdish) Internal Security Force checkpoints," the statement added, also reporting Turkish shelling.

Turkey launched air strikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria Wednesday blaming them for an attack that killed five people at a defence firm near Ankara.

A further 22 people were wounded in the attack, which the government said was "very likely" carried out by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Hours later, "an air operation was carried out against terrorist targets in the north of Iraq and Syria," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"A total of 32 targets belonging to the terrorists were successfully destroyed."

The US-backed SDF spearheaded the campaign that dislodged Islamic State group jihadists from their last scraps of Syrian territory in 2019.

Turkey sees the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which dominate the SDF, as an offshoot of the PKK.

Turkish troops and allied rebel factions control swathes of northern Syria following successive cross-border offensives since 2016, most of them targeting the SDF.

(AFP)

DEM Party Headquarters in Ankara attacked

The DEM Party Headquarters in Ankara was attacked last night.



ANF
ANKARA
Friday, 25 October 2024, 

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Headquarters building in Ankara was attacked last night.

DEM Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan wrote on her social media: "Our DEM Party Headquarters in Balgat, one of the busiest neighborhoods of Ankara, where many political parties have their headquarters, was attacked at midnight on Thursday."

Doğan added: "As seen in the photos, the doors and windows were broken, and an attempt was made to take down our sign. We reiterate that this poor mentality that seeks provocations cannot intimidate or stop us. We call on the Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya to quickly take action to take the necessary precautions and to identify the attackers."


DEM Party calls for immediate halt to Turkish air strikes on Northern and Eastern Syria

The DEM Party called for an immediate halt to Turkish air strikes on the autonomous region of Northern and Eastern Syria: "Military operations against civilians violate international law."



ANF
ANKARA
Thursday, 24 October 2024, 13:07

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) called for an immediate halt to Turkish attacks on the autonomous region of Northern and Eastern Syria.

The party executive's statement said: "The air strikes launched after the attack on the TUSAŞ compound in Ankara-Kahramankazan will only exacerbate the violence in the region. The bombing of many centers in Northern and Eastern Syria, especially in Kobanê, is endangering the lives of civilians. The devastating effects of the war could be catastrophic for all parties in the region. Military operations targeting civilians also violate international law. The continuation of war and conflict will only cause more suffering and losses. We appeal to all parties to work for dialogue and peaceful solutions. The bombing of civilian habitats must stop immediately."

Turkey targets wheat warehouse in Kobanê, injures workers

The Turkish state targeted a wheat warehouse in Kobanê. Many workers were injured.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Friday, 25 October 2024, 

The occupying Turkish state bombed a wheat warehouse in the village of Rovî in Kobanê.

It was reported that many workers were injured, one seriously, in the attack carried out by unmanned armed aerial vehicles.

KDC-F: Stop Turkish state bombing of civilians in Rojava




ANF
PARIS
Thursday, 24 October 2024, 17:42


The Kurdish Democratic Council in France (KDC-F) issued a statement in which it "strongly condemns the deadly bombings carried out by the Turkish army in northern Syria, which have caused, according to initial reports, the death of more than 12 civilians, including children, and injured more than 25 other people. These bombings, which occurred after the attack on the headquarters of Turkey's defense industries near Ankara, are not only unjustified, but also constitute flagrant war crimes."

The KDC-F added: "By targeting villages, civilian infrastructure and populated areas, Turkey is once again demonstrating its determination to break the legitimate resistance of the Kurdish people. These barbaric acts, which blindly strike children and civilians, reveal the Turkish government's war strategy of eradication."

The statement continued "We denounce this unacceptable violence, which violates international law and humanitarian conventions. The KDC-F calls on the international community, as well as France and the International Coalition, to assume their responsibilities by intervening to put an end to these massacres and protect civilian populations."

The KDC-F said that on Saturday, demonstrations will be organized throughout France, particularly in Paris, to denounce these bombings and express our solidarity with the victims and the Kurdish people.

The Kurdish organization called "on French civil society to mobilize against these repeated attacks and to stand alongside the Kurdish people in their struggle for peace, justice and dignity."

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Turkey, the Kurds and the PKK
DW

The PKK has claimed responsibility for an attack on a defense company in Ankara in which five people were killed. Who is the PKK and what do they strive for?


Image: Alain Pitton/Imago Images

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Turkish defense company TUSAS in Ankara, according to the Kurdish news agency ANF.

The report states that the "Immortal Battalion," an autonomous unit of the PKK's military arm, was responsible for the attack, which was carried out in response to Turkish "massacres" and other actions in Kurdish regions.

The attack took place shortly after an advance on the possible release of PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan under the condition that his organization disarms. The PKK denies any links between this and to the attack.

Who is the PKK and what are their aims?

The latest attack might have thwarted attempts to release PKK-founder Abdullah Ocalan after years of prison in return for disarming the PKKImage: Christoph Hardt/Panama Pictures/picture alliance

The origins of the PKK


In Turkey, social tensions between Turks and Kurds have been an issue for decades.

Kurds have been demanding more cultural and political rights from the centrally organized Turkish state, while Ankara often frames such demands as a threat to national stability.

Kurds make up around 20% of Turkey's population. While they live all over the country, the largest communities are concentrated in the southeast. Kurdish groups also live in the neighboring states of Syria, Iraq and Iran.

In Iraq, the Kurds hold a semi-autonomous status in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, while in northeastern Syria some areas are under the control of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Within Turkey, two main actors seek to represent the interests of the Kurds: The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM — the third largest party in parliament — and the PKK. The DEM Party is committed to a peaceful, political solution whereas the originally Marxist-Leninist PKK is armed, and its members have engaged in guerrilla tactics.

Abdullah Ocalan is said to control the PKK from behind barsImage: Mustafa Abadan/AA/picture alliance


What are the PKK's aims?


Founded in 1978, the PKK's original aim was to establish an independent Kurdish state. However, since 1984, the PKK has been engaged in an armed conflict with the Turkish state.

According to several political scientists, this conflict is considered a low-intensity war. It has claimed up to 40,000 civilian and military victims on both sides. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization in the USA and the EU.

Since 1995, the organization has been striving for autonomy and cultural rights for Kurds within Turkey and has given up its demand for independence in favour of a system of self-government.

The PKK is believed to have 60,000 members, including active fighters, supporters and sympathizers.

The Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq are its main base of operations, where it organizes militant campaigns and logistics. Turkey regularly bombs positions of Kurdish groups in Iraq and Syria.

Criminalization of Kurdish politics

Over the last ten years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), has increasingly criminalized Kurdish politics in Turkey.

The DEM Party and other factions have been associated with the PKK, although the DEM Party officially advocates a peaceful solution and distances itself from the PKK.

Many Kurdish politicians, including the former chairman of the People's Democratic Party, or HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, have been jailed on terrorism charges.

While some HDP members have family ties to the PKK, such as Omer Ocalan, the nephew of PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, the HDP has asserted that such connections are individual and do not reflect its policies.

PKK founder Ocalan has been held in prison since 1999.


The same year, he was sentenced to death for high treason. However, before the sentence was carried out, Turkey abolished the death penalty and Ocalan's sentence was converted to life imprisonment in 2002.

He continues to exert influence on the organization from behind bars.
While the victims of the latest PKK attack were buried, Turkey's army targeted Kurdish facilities in Iraq and Syria
Image: Adem Altan/AFP

Is peace on the horizon?

In the past, multiple efforts have been made to create peace.

In the first years of the AKP government in particular, Kurds were given new rights, including educational opportunities in their mother tongue and Kurdish-language state media.

However, lasting peace remains the horizon.

Earlier this month, the far-right Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli surprised everyone by shaking hands with representatives of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party in parliament. He later described this as "perfectly normal for a party of unity in Turkey."

Bahceli, who is considered an important ally of Erdogan in the governing alliance with the AKP, appealed to Ocalan on October 15 to persuade the PKK to give up their weapons. On October 22, he called on Ocalan to announce the dissolution of the PKK in parliament.

On October 24, Ocalan replied from prison: "I have the theoretical and practical power to (transform) this process from one grounded in conflict and violence to one that is grounded on law and politics."

The PKK is said to have around 60,000 members, among them supporters, activists and combat soldiers
Image: Yann Renoult/Wostok Press/MAXPPP/picture alliance

What is behind this?

According to experts, regional developments have influenced Turkey's change of course on the Kurdish issue. But, political scientist Sezin Oney sees "no real peace initiative" in these steps. "The main aim is to minimize the threat posed by armed groups such as the PKK," she told DW.

Oney also stresses Turkey's current economic restrictions: "Turkey has neither the political nor the economic basis to finance a new war," she said.

Political scientist Eren Aksoyoglu, a former parliamentary advisor, agrees. "Turkey sees the Israel-Hamas war as a threat and against this backdrop, the government wants to integrate the Kurdish movement into 'Greater Turkey' and bring all internal actors under control," he told DW.

An AKP politician, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed that the geopolitical situation is forcing Turkey to strive for a unified domestic policy and resolve conflicts within the country.

This applies not only to the Kurdish question, but also to other domestic political tensions.

However, just one day after Bahceli's appeal, Ankara was shaken by the attack on the TUSAS defense factory, which has led to further strikes on Kurdish areas abroad. Many in the Turkish public see the attack as an attempt to undermine the peace efforts.

Berrak Güngör and Kayhan Ayhan contributed to this article, which originally appeared in German.


Burak Ünveren Multimedia editor with a focus on Turkish foreign policy and German-Turkish relations.










LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for YPJ







Thursday, November 21, 2024

Turkey: What's behind Erdogan's outreach to Kurds?
DW
November 20, 2024

The Turkish government is sending ambiguous signals to the Kurds. Analysts believe it is hoping to garner some votes while also possibly splitting the opposition.



Political gestures of importance: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes the hand of Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Leader Devlet Bahceli (L)
Image: DHA

When Devlet Bahceli, chairman of the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP party, shook hands with politicians from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the gesture marked a political U-turn.

Up until October, Bahceli had claimed that the left-wing, pro-Kurdish DEM Party, just like its predecessor, the HDP, was an extension of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party ( PKK) and should, therefore, be banned.

Even more surprising was Bahceli's next suggestion that PKK head Abdullah Ocalan could be released in exchange for announcing the dissolution of his party. Bahceli's party is considered the parent organization of the right-wing extremist group Grey Wolves and is known for its anti-minority ideology.

In the following days, the 76-year-old Ocalan received a visit from his family for the first time in 43 months. He has been in solitary confinement in a high-security prison since 1999.

A peace process with the PKK was put in place a decade ago already, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan terminated it a year later in 2015.

After a few non-violent years, the bloody conflict flared up once more.

The Turkish government cracked down on Kurdish politicians in Turkey and launched military operations in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.

The PKK has its headquarters in Iraq's Qandil Mountains. A de facto self-governing Kurdish state, known as Rojava, has established itself in northeastern Syria.
Ahmet Turk, a pro-Kurdish politician, was elected as mayor three times and also dismissed three times
Image: Kivanc El/DW

A carrot and stick approach?

Since Bahceli's push for Ocalan's potential early release, people in Turkey have been puzzling over what the government in Ankara is up to.

Why are its representatives seeking proximity to Ocalan at the same time as elected Kurdish local politicians are being removed from office?

In late October, Ahmet Ozer, the mayor of Istanbul's Esenyurt district and a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), was arrested for alleged links to the PKK.

A few days later, three Kurdish mayors in southeastern Turkey were replaced by state officers.

This also happened to Ahmet Turk, an 82-year-old veteran of Kurdish politics. He has been elected and dismissed as mayor of the city of Mardin three times.

Observers agree that Erdogan is set on becoming the president of Turkey again.

However, a constitutional amendment would be necessary for a fourth term in office. As of now, Erdogan lacks the necessary majority in parliament.

Analysts believe that his plan is to use the carrot and stick approach to bring the Kurds and pro-Kurdish DEM Party into line by offering concessions, such as softening Ocalan's sentence to house arrest or possibly ending the practice of imposing state officials in Kurdish regions.

Moreover, such moves could also split the opposition.


Could the Turkish government's hope be to offset Abdullah Ocalan's release for Kurdish votes?
Image: Christoph Hardt/Panama Pictures/picture alliance

Power shift in the Middle East?

Arzu Yilmaz, a political scientist at the University of Kurdistan Hewler in Iraq's city of Erbil believes that there are other reasons for the latest developments.

"First and foremost, the unstable situation in the Middle East and the US govenment's decision to withdraw US soldiers from Iraq and Syria by 2026," she told DW.

Given Donald Trump's re-election, this could happen sooner than expected, she added.

Around 2,500 US soldiers are still stationed in Iraq, and some 900 in Syria, where they cooperate closely with local Kurdish militias.

"The balance of power in the Middle East is shifting, but despite its ambitions, Turkey is not an important player," Yilmaz said, saying that Ankara might want to change that.

Bese Hozat, the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union, an umbrella organization of several parties of Kurdistan, including the PKK, echoed these thoughts. "Turkey's geopolitical and geostrategic position and influence in the region is gradually weakening," she said in an interview, adding that this was "causing the Turkish government to panic."

In her view, this has pushed it to find a workaround and try to instrumentalize Kurdish leader Ocalan for its own purposes.

Military operations expected

Earlier this month, Erdogan announced that he would soon close the "security gaps on the southern borders".

This signals a new round of Turkish military operations in Syria and Iraq.

Arzu Yilmaz believes that the Iraqi Kurds have no reason to worry about the future as their status quo is enshrined in Iraq's constitution.

However, the future of the self-governing Kurdish region in northeastern Syria is more uncertain, she said, adding that so far the US had supported the Kurds but it remained to be seen what would happen after the withdrawal of US troops. It was unclear who would fill the resulting power vacuum.

A key factor would be how the Kurds in the various regions cooperated with each other, she said: "This will determine whether the Kurds ultimately emerge from this crisis stronger or weaker."

Sources close to the PKK say that an initial meeting of Kurdish parties from Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey took place in the Belgian capital Brussels in November, however, the result of the discussion remains unknown.

The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own state. According to estimates, more than 12 million live in Turkey, around 6 million in Iraq and the same in Iran, and just under 3 million in Syria.

Germany boasts the largest Kurdish diaspora community, which numbers around 1 million.

This article was translated from German.

Monday, March 14, 2022

IMPRISONED LEADER OF PKK/YPG

Giant posters of Abdullah Öcalan cover Manchester buildings

A giant poster of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan hung in a 10-storey building in Manchester in the north of England.



ANF
MANCHESTER
Saturday, 12 Mar 2022, 08:51

A giant poster of Abdullah Öcalan hung in a 10-storey building in Manchester. As part of the "It's Time" campaign launched for the freedom of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and carried out at international level, posters of the Kurdish people's leader were hung on billboards at crossroads, buildings and bus stops in Manchester.

The poster, which was hung on a billboard exceeding 10 meters on the side wall of a building opposite the Manchester Stadium, attracted great attention. The area where the poster was hung was located at the most important junction of the city of Manchester. Many other posters were placed at different locations.

The posters will hang for about a week, and read "How many days of solitary confinement could you survive in a Turkish prison?" The banners read and below they said: "Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held in solitary confinement on a Turkish prison island for over 8,400 days."

British Kurdish People's Assembly co-chair Elif Sarıcan emphasized that the "Time Has Come" campaign is a work based on the freedom of the Kurdish and Middle Eastern peoples, to begin with the freedom of Öcalan. Stating that with the 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan' campaign carried out by the unions in England, they aim at achieving the freedom of the Kurdish people’s leader, Sarıcan said: "While describing Leader Apo's thought, philosophy and life stance across Britain, we draw attention to its universal dimensions. In this sense, the posters prepared in the city of Manchester attracted great attention. We had the chance to meet Öcalan in many parts of the city and to come into contact with his paradigm of freedom."


Banners and posters with the photo of Abdullah Öcalan hung all over London
As part of the 15 February protests of the Kurdish People's Assembly, a total of 60 billboards and more than 200 posters on bus stops were displayed by a UK distribution company.


  • Who is Abdullah Ocalan? - Freedom for Ocalan

    https://www.freedomforocalan.org/about/who-is-abdullah-ocalan

    Abdullah Ocalan is the recognised leader of the Kurdish liberation movement. Imprisoned since 1999, his ideas and vision have served as an inspiration and guiding model for Kurds in Turkey and Syria. Affectionately known as ‘Apo’ (short for both Abdullah and Uncle in Kurdish), Öcalan is central to the peace process needed to end Turkey’s war on the Kurdish people. In Syria his …

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    • https://thekurdishproject.org/.../famous-kurds-old/abdullah-ocalan
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      The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and other nations. Öcalan and other Kurdish people looking to fight for independence and rights for Kurds in Turkey founded the PKK in 1978, but the organization did not reach its notorious violence until the early 1980’s. The violence included bombing…
      See more on thekurdishproject.org
    • https://www.aei.org/op-eds/the-kurds-nelson-mandela-the-legacy-of...

      2021-03-17 · Abdullah Öcalan, the Kurdish leader imprisoned by Turkey for the past 22 years may be dead. On March 14, rumors erupted on Turkish social media that Öcalan, founder of the Kurdistan Workers ...

    • https://www.freedomforocalan.org

      Abdullah Öcalan is the recognised leader of the Kurdish movement in Turkey and beyond. He speaks for the Kurdish people’s aspirations for freedom from political and cultural oppression, for democracy and peace. From his prison cell, Öcalan has led a campaign for peace and a democratic solution. He has written books explaining his ideas on how democratic peace can …

    • Books by Abdullah Öcalan

      www.ocalanbooks.com

      Books by Abdullah Öcalan. La civiltà capitalista. Beyond State, Power, and Violence. Die demokratische Zivilisation. بونیادنانی ژیانی ئازاد. The Art of Freedom. Freedom Poems for Öcalan. Manifeste pour une civilisation démocratique - Volume …

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Abdullah_Öcalan

      The trial of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), began on 31 May 1999 and concluded on 29 June with a death sentence for treason and separatism. Öcalan was captured in February 1999 in Nairobi, Kenya and brought to Turkey where he was imprisoned on the İmralı island in the Sea of Marmara. After his conviction, Öcalan appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which ruled he did not have a fair trialand demanded a retrial. The deat…

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