PKK

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

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...

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...

In Pursuit of Kurdish Rebels, Turkey Invades Iraq

Troops cross border after PKK attacks kill 26 soldiers

(Newser) - Turkey sent troops, air force bombers, and helicopter gunships across the border into Iraq today in pursuit of Kurdish rebels, after a series of PKK attacks left 26 Turkish soldiers dead and 22 wounded, according to Turkish television reports. Though Turkish authorities haven’t confirmed the incursion, the chief of...

Turkey: We Killed 100 Kurd Rebels in Iraq

Turkish attacks come in response to an ambush last week

(Newser) - Turkey's military said today airstrikes on suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq this week have killed an estimated 90 to 100 guerrillas and warned that it would press ahead with offensives against the group both inside Turkey and across the border. "Iraq's north and domestic areas...

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,...

Istanbul Suicide Bomber Wounds at Least 15

Identity of the attacker, motive are still unknown

(Newser) - A suspected suicide bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, has injured at least 15 people, reports the AP . The explosion took place in the heart of the city, near Taksim Square, injuring nine police officers and six passers-by. The local police chief told reporters that the bomber was male, but little else...

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...

Kurds Battle Riot Police in Turkey

Shouting PKK slogans, Turkish Kurds clash with police

(Newser) - Thousands of Kurds battled police with rocks and fires in Turkish cities today, the BBC reports. Dozens were injured, including almost 40 demonstrators and 15 officers, as cops arrested more than 130 people. One policeman and three protesters are in intensive care. Sparked by Turkey's strikes on Kurdish rebels in...

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq
Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

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...

US Didn't Protest Turkish Incursion Into Iraq

White House told far in advance of ground assault

(Newser) - As fierce fighting continues in northern Iraq, American officials have confirmed they were aware that Turkey planned to strike at Kurdish guerrillas inside the border—and didn't raise objections, the Wall Street Journal reports. The US did, however, urge Turkey to limit the length and scope of the incursion. "...

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 "...

Turkey Bombs Rebels in Iraqi Mountains

Attacks must end 'as soon as possible,' Baghdad warns

(Newser) - Fighting continued in semiautonomous Kurdistan today as Turkey’s air and artillery forces let loose a hail of bombs in the mountains of northern Iraq, the AP reports. The strikes are ratcheting up tension between Turkey and the US-backed Iraqi government: Iraq’s foreign minister today told Turkey to get...

10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq
10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq

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...

Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes
Turkey Hits Kurds With
Air Strikes

Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes

Claims rebels suffer 'heavy losses' but no fatalities

(Newser) - Turkey bombed Kurdish rebel targets in Northern Iraq today, claiming strikes on "infrastructure" but no fatalities, the BBC reports. Ten planes reportedly attacked the al-Amadiyah region, which Kurdish officials say is abandoned for fear of military strikes. Turkish officials said the militant PKK "suffered heavy losses in terms...

Turkish Air Strikes Target Kurdish Rebels

Attack inside northern Iraq the first since US invasion

(Newser) - Turkey launched its first air strike since 2003 on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq early this morning, targeting a mountainous region near the Turkish border where the government says the PKK has its leadership council and camps. About 50 warplanes were used in the offensive, the AP reports, which lasted...

Turkey Claims Strike on Iraqi Kurds

Rebels deny report, and Washington claims ignorance

(Newser) - Turkey launched an “intense intervention” in Northern Iraq today, inflicting losses on PKK fighters—at least according to Ankara. A PKK official denies the strike, and Washington claims ignorance, Reuters reports. But Turkey says that its artillery, helicopters, and special forces struck a Kurdish base with 50-60 militants. "...

Bush Offers Turkish PM Intel on Kurds

Designed to avert war, offer satisfies Erdogan

(Newser) - President Bush and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerged in agreement from a  Washington meeting today, with Erdogan declaring, “I’m happy,”  after Bush offered him access to US intel to track Kurdish rebels operating out of Northern Iraq. Bush vowed to share "real time" information...

Rebel Kurds Free Turkish Soldiers
Rebel Kurds Free Turkish Soldiers

Rebel Kurds Free Turkish Soldiers

Move could deter war; Turkey's PM to meet Bush tomorrow

(Newser) - Kurds freed eight Turkish soldiers today, a move that may cut the odds of a Turkish invasion into northern Iraq, Reuters reports. But Turkey still wants Kurdish rebels arrested and training camps shut down. Britain's defense secretary called the release "a significant move," but added, "We need...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>