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December 2, 2008 8:13:11 AM CST

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Turks & Kurds

Tension between the groups has been a fact of life in Turkey since the founding of the Republic. Now the Iraq War is upsetting an already precarious equilibrium

To the Turks, they're "Mountain Turks," but the Kurds view themselves as a distinctive ethnic group with only geographic ties to the country in which they live. Their decades-long struggle for an independent Kurdistan on Turkey's eastern border has at times turned deadly, claiming 30,000 lives in the early 1980s. Though the groups have taken steps toward conciliation in recent years, the recent disruption caused by the Iraq War has created a de facto Kurdistan in northern Iraq, once again igniting the hopes of Kurds—and the fears of Turks.

Stories

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  • July 2008

    • Ex-Pentagon Official Eying Iraq Oil Deal

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jul 29, 08 4:55 PM CDT

      Ex-Pentagon Official Eying Iraq Oil Deal

      (Newser) - Former Pentagon official Richard Perle is on board with a consortium seeking to drill for oil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the Wall Street Journal reports—though both Baghdad and Washington want a national oil law passed before regional business is done. The Iraq war backer denies that he’s involved with that outfit, said to include Turkish and Kazakh companies. More »

    • Istanbul Bombs Kill 13, Injure 70

      Associated Press  |  Jul 27, 08 5:03 PM CDT

      Istanbul Bombs Kill 13, Injure 70

      (AP) - Two bombs exploded just minutes apart in Istanbul, killing 13 and injuring around 70 others today in a square packed with people, the governor said. The bombs were placed in trash cans and police were investigating who might be behind the blasts. "There is no doubt that this is a terror attack," he said. More »

  • April 2008

    • Turkey Launches New Airstrike in Iraq

      Reuters  |  Apr 16, 08 9:30 AM CDT

      Turkey Launches New Airstrike in Iraq

      (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 but claimed there were no casualties. More »

  • March 2008

    • Kurds Battle Riot Police in Turkey

      BBC  |  Mar 22, 08 7:42 PM CDT

      Kurds Battle Riot Police in Turkey

      (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 Northern Iraq last month, the clashes erupted during Kurdish spring festivals. More »

    • 16 Arrested in Plot to Kill Turkish Laureate

      AFP  |  Mar 21, 08 10:47 AM CDT

      16 Arrested in Plot to Kill Turkish Laureate

      (Newser) - A nationalist party leader, a veteran journalist, and a top academic have been arrested over a plan to kill dissident Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. The leader of the Workers’ Party and former rector of Istanbul University, along with a general, and retired colonel, are among 16 who were detained over plans to kill the Nobel laureate and several senior Kurdish figures. More »

  • February 2008

    • Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

      Reuters  |  Feb 29, 08 8:57 AM CST

      Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

      (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 the organization that northern Iraq is not a safe haven for them.” More »

    • Turkey Gives No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

      Reuters  |  Feb 27, 08 1:35 PM CST

      Turkey Gives No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

      (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 say the incursion could destabilize security in the country as a whole. More »

    • US Didn't Protest Turkish Incursion Into Iraq

      Wall Street Journal  |  Feb 26, 08 10:26 AM CST

      US Didn't Protest Turkish Incursion Into Iraq

      (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. "They understood why Turkey was doing this," said Turkey's ambassador to the US. More »

    • Reb Leader Calls for Kurd Uprising in Turkey

      Reuters  |  Feb 24, 08 7:31 AM CST

      Reb Leader Calls for Kurd Uprising in Turkey

      (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 "uninhabitable." He pointed out that only a few young people would be necessary to burn hundreds of cars. More »

    • Turkey Bombs Rebels in Iraqi Mountains

      Associated Press  |  Feb 23, 08 3:28 PM CST

      Turkey Bombs Rebels in Iraqi Mountains

      (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 out “as soon as possible.” More »

    • Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid

      Associated Press  |  Feb 23, 08 6:39 AM CST

      Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid

      (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 has accompanied the ground raid, the AP quoted the Turkish military as saying. More »

    • 10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq

      Bloomberg  |  Feb 22, 08 5:57 AM CST

      10,000 Turkish Troops Enter Iraq

      (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 the troops are up to 6 miles inside Iraqi territory. The ground assault "is not the greatest news," said a US State Department official. More »

  • December 2007

    • Turks Launch Second Straight Air Strike in Northern Iraq

      Washington Post  |  Dec 23, 07 10:15 PM CST

      Turks Launch Second Straight Air Strike in Northern Iraq

      (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 with Turkish concerns about Kurdish guerrillas but did not support the attacks, according to American officials. More »

    • Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes

      BBC  |  Dec 22, 07 3:33 PM CST

      Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes

      (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 of its infrastructure and its human resources." More »

    • Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq

      Reuters  |  Dec 18, 07 6:14 AM CST

      Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq

      (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 follows a series of air raids in Kurdish Iraqi territory this weekend. More »

    • Rice Pops Up in Iraq to Plead for Peace

      Reuters  |  Dec 18, 07 4:49 AM CST

      Rice Pops Up in Iraq to Plead for Peace

      (Newser) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Iraq for a surprise visit today to plead for increased efforts at reconciliation, Reuters reports. She flew into the ethnically mixed northern city of Kirkuk—which some expect to be the next flashpoint for violence. The city's Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen are deeply divided, and fears of fighting have delayed a planned vote on the city's future status.  More »