Turkish Military Strikes Kill Up to 160 Kurdish Guerrillas
- Posted on August 29, 2011 at 6:03pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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ANKARA, Turkey (The Blaze/AP) — Turkey’s military said Monday that its air strikes and artillery fire on suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq have killed an estimated 145 to 160 guerrillas and wounded as many as 100.
The military also said those casualty figures for this month’s offensive did not include its latest air strikes on rebel targets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, said Monday that only three rebels and seven civilians, including four children, have been killed since the Turkish attacks began on Aug. 17, but it vowed to respond with its own attacks.
The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, is fighting for autonomy in Turkey’s mostly Kurdish southeast region, and it routinely launches attacks from its bases in northern Iraq.
The casualty estimates by Turkish forces and the PKK often differ dramatically during such offensives in northern Iraq, and relief agencies, human rights groups and Iraqi government are rarely able to provide their own estimates.
The military said its air force attacks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday included 21 sorties that hit rebel targets in the Zap and Gara regions of northern Iraq along the rugged border of the two countries. Artillery units inside Turkey also shelled rebel targets in Iraq.
The military said it has tried to avoid civilian casualties in its attacks.
Meanwhile, the rebels appeared to keep up their own sporadic attacks.
A small bomb exploded on a beach in a Mediterranean resort of Kemer in Turkey’s Antalya province on Sunday, slightly injuring about 10 people, including at least four Swedes. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Kurdish rebels fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey have carried out deadly attacks at such tourist resorts.
A funeral also was held Monday in the Turkish town of Cukurca near the Iraqi border for a Kurdish activist who died on Sunday when hundreds of Kurdish activists clashed with police while trying to cross into Iraq to serve as “human shields” against the Turkish offensive. Some of the mourners at the funeral threw stones at police.
Tens of thousands of people have died since the PKK rebels began their campaign in Turkey in 1984.
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Verum Ad Potentia
Posted on September 1, 2011 at 1:52amNope! No genocide here! Move along, move along…
Report Post »Bernard
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:35pmSecond Comment:
Report Post »Case example of China’s rapidly growing influence in that region is the 100 billion oil pipeline finalized with Iran. Though the US has warned China not to proceed with this deal (warned china. what a joke) China nevertheless has proceeded. India too wanted to build a similar gas line to Iran, bypassing Pakistan through a sea route, but unlike China, India gave into the US.
Historical point: The historical relationship between Iran and India is strong for the Mogul Empire is a Persian creation. Unlike India, China has no such historical connections with Iran but is gaining the upper hand against both India and the US.
Bernard
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:28pmYesterday Baghdad was victim to a terrorist act in which many died. As we remove our soldiers, Persian Iran will fill in the vacuum we left with pleasure. Arabic Iraq, one of the cultural centers of the Arab world where Mesopotamian and Sumerian civilizations were born along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is pitted agiainst the ancient Persians, now known as Iran. The Persians were the bane of western civilization since ancient Greece till Alexander the Great took them out. Now a resugent Persinan based Iran is hell bent on finalizing that eight year bloody war fought when Saddam Hussein was in power. Iran’s purpose is to dismantle her nemesis once and for all and by doing that become even a greater regional power that would be a greater threat to her Arab nations than to Israel. Out of this hell is the Kurdish situation, often left out of our news. The kurds have demanded a homeland carved from Iraq and neighboring nations with large Kurdish populations, that include Turkey. This new avatar is a rising specter that will not go away and instead grow in power with the aid of Iran and the Al-Qaeda. If their goal is ever realized then the entire Middle East would be ripped apart with Iran emerging even stronger. But this time due to our ever loving left leaning President, we are bankrupt and would have to borrow from China to manage the Middle East. An impossible feat since China‘s role in the Middle East has been growing by leaps and bounds to China’s advantage.
Report Post »cromag11b
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 10:41amI’ve spent a good deal of time in Turkey. Its the Kurds and Arab immigrants that are moving in and not assimilating; kind of like or problem with the southern boarder. They build shanty towns and put up minarets every 50 ft all over the place.
Report Post »Applehead
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:24amZionist slant to protect the Kurds bc they are genetically related to the Jews! Who cares!!! I care about the greatest country in the history of the world, the USA!!! Lets stay out of ME!!!!! They’re been fighting for thousands of years and we(USA) benefit nothing! Glenn is a Zionist!!!!!!! AIPAC got to him!!! USA USA USA!!!!!
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:00pmYou can usually tell the miscreants. They always seem to have “Worker’s Party” in their name.
Report Post »RobbyVG
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:55amI would not piss off the Kurds – because unlike us…. they mean business.
They rarely do something crazy as TV shows now will often make a point of.
When I was in Iraq these follk had the most “western” ideals. Women worked when they felt like it and wore skirts. People lived and survived – Jews next to Christians next to Muslims. It was a more harmonious scene than could ever happen in the U.S.
Report Post »run42k
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:49amIsn’t it funny that they call the Kurds “guerrillas”? I had the chance to see some of this terrain close up and I have no idea how the Kurds live where they do and have survived the endless assault from Saddam Hussein and our ‘NATO allies’ in Turkey. I always thought it funny we could protect the Kurds from Saddam, but not from the Turks.
Report Post »DanWesson455
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:47amTurks be killing the Kurds for a very long time. The UN is a feckless bunch of money grubbing idiots. Turkey should be kicked out of the UN and NATO. Sanctions should be placed on the country and I mean hard sanctions. Freeze all of their world wide assets. Man killing man. Always has and apparently always will. Satan is alive and doing very well, thank you, in today’s world.
Report Post »hempstead1944
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:41amYou really, really, really do not want to piss the Kurds off…..
Report Post »Mikev5
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:35amI say this violence begets violence dose no one talk anymore
Report Post »Applehead
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:06pmIf any of my posts are untrue then CALL ME!!!
Report Post »heyjim55
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:22amDon’t know what to say about this I know the Kurds are the last people on earth to not have a state of their own no one wants them around. Christopher Hitchens is a big supporter of these people, perhaps they should stay in northern Iraq before they are wiped out.
Report Post »cromag11b
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 10:36amYou forgot Nepal, Palestine, and Native Americans in your list of peoples without countries.
Report Post »Applehead
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:30amThe Zionist Blaze is equivalent to MSNBC!!!!! No money no more American blood spilled over ME interests!!!!! Glenn send your kids and your money to die for Zionist interests!!! You’re no better than the people you outed!!! This is not the United States of Americas business!!!
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