The escalation of violence between PKK and Turkish military forces in eastern Anatolia continues. Euronews reports (see video below) on a PKK attack on Turkish forces that killed 24 or 26 soldiers (I get different figures from different reports) and wounded almost as many.
As the report notes, Turkish forces pursued PKK fighters far into Iraqi territory - Bloomberg claims that they pushed as far at 4 kilometers into Iraq - and were supported by warplanes that bombed PKK positions.
The attack and retaliation follow a statement from the jailed PKK leader - Abdullah Öcalan or "Apo" - delivered yesterday by his brother, who had visited him on İmralı island. According to the statement, Öcalan argues that "At this stage, the key is in the hands of state authorities, not ours. Negotiations will continue and everything could change in the coming process if they open the door" (from Today's Zaman).
As the report notes, Turkish forces pursued PKK fighters far into Iraqi territory - Bloomberg claims that they pushed as far at 4 kilometers into Iraq - and were supported by warplanes that bombed PKK positions.
The attack and retaliation follow a statement from the jailed PKK leader - Abdullah Öcalan or "Apo" - delivered yesterday by his brother, who had visited him on İmralı island. According to the statement, Öcalan argues that "At this stage, the key is in the hands of state authorities, not ours. Negotiations will continue and everything could change in the coming process if they open the door" (from Today's Zaman).
I'm really sorry for Turkish soldiers who were killed yesterday and also am very sorry for their family. It's interesting tho that today I'm going to apply for compulsory military service to finish it up as soon as possible in order to find a good job, anyways. I'd like to know your opinion about the possible solution of this never-ending war. You may have noticed that for 30 years, politicians of Turkey are trying to "finish" this problem with guns and soldiers but isn't it obvious that it just doesn't work this way. What do you think? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Sevket, thanks for your comment. You may wish to see this post for some reflections on ways out: http://tinyurl.com/449nr93
ReplyDeleteIn very general terms, though, the only long-term solution I see involves Kurds giving up their aspiration for an independent state in return for real and substantial autonomy granted them by the Turkish state.
This proposal follows the recommendation of ethnic conflict scholars Ted Gurr and Barbara Harff (see their book 'Ethnic Conflict in World Politics'), and has been suggested as a solution to the Turkish-Kurdish conflict by Gülistan Gürbey: http://tinyurl.com/3bey9ub
And Sevket, good luck with your military service. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteIf the home is not stable or unified, this has the potential to affect not only the service member's performance, but also his or her command readiness level. Fighting Vehicles
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