Kurdistan Workers' Party

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12 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Methane Gas

They were searching for the body of fellow soldier in an Iraqi cave

(Newser) - Twelve Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning while searching a cave in northern Iraq for the body of a fellow soldier, reports Deutsche Welle . Turkish officials said the soldiers were exposed to the gas while looking for the remains of a soldier killed during a military operation...

After 40 Years of Fighting, Insurgents Lay Down Arms

Kurdish PKK disbands in Turkey, will push for change without violence

(Newser) - An insurgent group that has waged war for more than 40 years in Turkey on behalf of the nation's Kurdish minority is laying down its arms. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said Monday that it will disband—heeding the wish of its long-imprisoned leader, reports the AP .
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Suspect Arrested in Deadly Istanbul Bombing

Kurdish militants blamed for the attack

(Newser) - Police have arrested a suspect who is believed to have planted the bomb that exploded on a bustling pedestrian avenue in Istanbul, Turkey’s interior minister said Monday, adding that initial findings indicate that Kurdish militants were responsible for the deadly attack, the AP reports. Six people were killed and...

US Will Supply Heavier Arms to Syrian Kurds to Fight ISIS

Turkey accuses the US of arming terrorists to fight terrorists

(Newser) - President Trump will provide heavier arms to Syrian Kurds in a move certain to anger Turkey, the New York Times reports. The US will supply YPG with things like anti-tank missiles and heavy machine guns so the Kurdish militia can help take Raqqa, a Syrian city serving as the capital...

Turkey Vows 'Vengeance' as Soccer Blasts Kill 30 Cops

13 have been arrested in attacks in Istanbul

(Newser) - Turkey declared a national day of mourning and began to bury its dead Sunday after twin blasts in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near a soccer stadium, reports the AP . It was the latest large-scale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats. The...

Car Bomb Kills At Least 28 in Turkey's Capital

Officials are calling it a terrorist attack

(Newser) - At least 28 people are dead after an explosion struck three military vehicles and a civilian vehicle Wednesday in Turkey's capital of Ankara, CNN reports. Another 61 people were reported injured. According to the BBC , most of the victims are believed to be Turkish soldiers. The vehicles were stopped...

Kurdish Rebel Leader Declares Ceasefire

From jail, Abdullah Ocalan calls for peace

(Newser) - In what he'd promised would be a "historic" pronouncement, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) called for a full ceasefire today, urging the PKK's armed factions to withdraw from Turkey. Massive crowds gathered in Diyarbakir, Turkey's largest predominantly Kurdish city, to hear...

Apparent Execution in Paris as 3 Kurd Activists Shot

One victim is top militant Sakine Cansiz

(Newser) - Three Kurdish women were found dead at a Paris pro-Kurdish center early today, and France's interior minister is calling it an execution. The three activists were shot; local media reported they were shot in the head, but police would not confirm that, the AP reports. One of the victims...

Turkey Puts 44 Reporters on Trial; 900 to Go

Kurdish journalists face charges of 'terrorism'

(Newser) - Turkey put 44 Kurdish journalists on trial today, accusing them of fomenting armed rebellion against the state—possibly the first of many trials against more than 900 indicted reporters, the Guardian reports. Officials say today's defendants are terrorists, yet some are accused of writing articles about prison abuse, war...

Lawmaker's Kidnapping Roils Turkey

Huseyin Aygun is first lawmaker to be taken by Kurdish rebels

(Newser) - Turkish troops launched a search yesterday for a lawmaker kidnapped by Kurdish rebels near the eastern city of Tunceli, authorities and the lawmaker's party said. Huseyin Aygun, from the main opposition Republican People's Party, was abducted last night at a roadblock between the town of Ovacik and Tunceli;...

Turkey Strikes Kurds in Iraq

And promises more attacks to come

(Newser) - Turkey is fed up with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), and the military confirmed yesterday that its jets had crossed into Iraq to strike suspected rebels. Turkish jets struck an estimated 60 members of the rebel group, in attacks both near the Turkish border and along the Iraq-Iran border,...

USC Prof Fights Terror Charge for Backing Kurds

Supreme Court case puts law to test

(Newser) - A USC professor and human rights activist heads to the Supreme Court next week to fight terror charges for supporting Turkey's Kurdish minority. Ralph Fertig, 79, is a self-described pacifist who says he counseled local leaders on how to peacefully pursue their cause. Those leaders, however, may have been members...

Turkey Launches New Airstrike in Iraq

Military reports 'neutralizing' Kurdish rebels

(Newser) - Turkey's air force flew into northern Iraq this morning, firing on a group of Kurdish guerrillas who officials said were attempting to cross the border, Reuters reports. The strikes "neutralized" several members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, said Turkish military authorities. The Kurdish separatist group confirmed the Turkish attack...

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq
Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq
Feb 29, 2008 8:57 AM CST

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

Says it made its point to the PKK

(Newser) - Turkey pulled its troops out of northern Iraq today, ending a controversial offensive that had Washington and Baghdad on edge, Reuters reports. In a statement, Turkey said it had made its point. “There was no question of completely liquidating” the PKK, the military said, “but Turkey has shown...

Turkey Gives No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

US, Iraq want quick end to incursion aimed at Kurd rebels

(Newser) - Despite mounting casualties and outside pressure, Turkey said today it would not give a timetable on pulling back troops from an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, Reuters reports. Turkish soldiers have killed 230 PKK guerillas since the conflict began, and lost 24 of their own. Iraqi and US officials...

Reb Leader Calls for Kurd Uprising in Turkey

Insurgency urged as Iraq battle continues

(Newser) - As Turkish troops continue their unprecedented ground offensive in northern Iraq, a leader of the targeted Kurdish separatist group has called for Kurds living in Turkey to rebel. A news agency loyal to the Kurdistan Workers' Party carried the call of the rebel Kurd commander to make Turkish cities "...

Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid
Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid
Feb 23, 2008 6:39 AM CST

Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid

Troops continue to pursue Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq mountains

(Newser) - Turkish forces pursued Kurdish militants in northern Iraq for a third day today, with the Turkish military reporting least 24 militants and five Turkish soldiers killed since they sent troops across the border to attack separatist strongholds Thursday night. At least 20 other Kurds died in the air assault that...

10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq
10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq
Feb 22, 2008 5:57 AM CST

10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq

Ground offensive marks major escalation in fight with Kurd separatists

(Newser) - Turkey has sent 10,000 troops over the border into northern Iraq to hunt down militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, marking the first major ground incursion into the country since 1997, reports Bloomberg. The Turkish military said that the action began last evening, and local television is reporting that...

Turks Launch Second Straight Air Strike in Northern Iraq

Bombs fall on Kurdistan but no casualties

(Newser) - A fleet of Turkish warplanes bombarded northern Iraq for a second straight day today in its ongoing campaign against Kurdish separatists. The air strike lasted for an hour but resulted in no casualties because the area's villages had already been evacuated, reports the Washington Post. Once again the US sympathized...

Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq
Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq
Dec 18, 2007 6:14 AM CST

Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq

Ground operations follow air raids on Kurdish rebels

(Newser) - Turkey sent hundreds of troops across the Iraqi border today to battle Kurdish separatists, the first large-scale ground incursion since tensions rose in the fall, Reuters reports. About 300 lightly armed troops arrived in a semi-autonomous mountainous region, Iraqi officials said. Ankara had no immediate comment on the operation, which...

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