Turkey Archives

Iraqi Resistance force attack Turkish Iraqi invasion soldiers 5 injured in second attack at Bashiqa camp

December 28, 2015 By administrator

n_93097_1 Five Turkish soldiers sustained injuries on Dec. 27 in the second attack this month on Bashiqa training camp in northern Iraq, Turkish sources have said.

Turkey deployed around 150 troops to the Bashiqa area earlier this month with the stated aim of training an Iraqi militia.

The Turkish soldiers’ presence in Iraq recently turned into a row between the two neighboring countries.

The additional deployment of Turkish troops to the Bashiqa camp kicked off an angry exchange between the two capitals.

Turkey said on Dec. 14 that some of its troops had begun leaving as part of reorganization, but Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s spokesman said it was not enough.

Kurdish freedom Fighters PKK wounded 9 Turkish security officers in clashes in Sur

December 28, 2015 By administrator

Five police officers and four soldiers were wounded on Monday in clashes with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern district of Sur, which is currently under curfew.

According to the Doğan news agency, PKK members detonated two handmade explosives via remote control that they had planted on Monday morning in the district. Following the violent explosion, fighting erupted between security forces and PKK terrorists.

Five special operations police officers and four gendarmerie special operations members were wounded during the clash. The injured soldiers and police officers were taken to nearby hospitals. One police officer who sustained gunshot wounds and a soldier hit by shrapnel were taken into surgery. The injured security officers are reportedly in good health.

The Call of alarmist denouncing a Kurd ethnic cleansing in Turkey

December 28, 2015 By administrator

arton120362-480x347 Corroborating the statements of the Turkish historian Ayse Hür, a young French woman living in Istanbul, urgently calls on the imminent danger of ethnic cleansing involving the Kurdish people, perpetrated on the orders of the Turkish authorities. In fact the only images broadcast by Haber TV sparingly, speak for themselves. While the eyes of the international community have turned to Syria and Iraq, Turkey proceeds methodically to silence Kurdish ambitions.

Here is the text addressed to the UN:

“Imagine a district of Lyon or Rennes reduced to ashes by the French army itself. Imagine, teachers receive a text message announcing the Ministry all schools in unlimited vacation and summoning you to leave your city, Nantes and Valencia, in preparation for a massacre by the army. Imagine that no relays these atrocities and that the vast majority of the country, lobotomized by state TV and intoxicated by nationalist hatred think it is a legitimate war against “terror” and welcomes the dead, “dirty terrorist” and less.

Well that is what is happening now in Turkey, in its eastern part, among the Kurds. That’s what state is the neighborhood of Sur in Diyarbakir (Turkey). Teachers Cizre were ordered to leave the premises, hospitals were sent indicating “be ready the equipment and personnel.” A massacre of State is preparing to general indifference. And all this policy is supported by the Western powers, our governments … “When I think that I was walking again in these streets a few months ago .. When I see what’s left … And it just beginning. Friends, I know that Kurdistan is far from being the only place or are happening such injustices but right now, battery hundred years after the Armenian Genocide, a real ethnic cleansing is preparing under the orders of President Erdoğan (supported by our own government in most of his actions!), in general indifference and impotence of many. Life in the cities of the West seems to continue as if nothing had happened, no news on most channels controlled by the state (the other censored) or even more absurd lies of the government. Here it seems that the people’s opinion has no weight but may be that in France you can make things happen .. disseminate, organize support visible movements etc .. to prevent further genocide in any country close to home, in 2015 “

Kurds uprise demand autonomy in Turkey amid continuing crackdown

December 28, 2015 By administrator

A congress of Kurdish non-governmental organizations has called to grant autonomy to Turkey’s southeastern regions via constitutional reform, as Turkish forces continue their crackdown on the Kurds, Russia Today reported.

On Sunday, the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an association of Kurdish non-governmental organizations, adopted a declaration stressing the need for Kurdish self-rule in Turkey after a two-day special meeting in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

“The rightful resistance mounted by our people against the policies that degrade the Kurdish problem, is essentially a demand and struggle for local self-governance and local democracy,” the 14-article declaration said.

The document suggests the creation of autonomous regions on Turkey’s territories mainly inhabited by Kurds, which could be composed of one or several Turkish provinces.

The autonomous regions should have their own elected legislatures and governments. Central government should have no power to remove the elected members of these bodies. Additionally, the regions should also have their own security forces under control of the regional authorities.

The DTK declaration also stresses that an autonomous region should receive a share from the use of natural resources located on its territory, and says constitutional reform is needed to formalize these norms in legislation.

The congress emphasized that granting autonomy is the only way for both to ensure the democratization of Turkey and to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey, adding that Kurds will not stop fighting for self-rule.

“We are extending our hand [for a peaceful settlement of the Kurdish issue] for the last time. We will not give up [demanding] autonomy,” Selma Irmak, a co-chair of the DTK said, delivering a speech on the first day of the Congress, Today’s Zaman reports.
The Congress expressed its commitment to the peaceful settlement of the Kurdish issue calling for reopening dialog and re-launching negotiations. It also reiterated its call for the release of Abdullah Ocalan – the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, said Kurds may potentially not only have autonomous regions, but also an independent federal state in the future. In his speech at the Congress on Saturday, he said the 21st century would be the “century of the Kurds.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out any possibility of another state within Turkey’s borders.

“Now they are talking about separating our land in this country. We will never allow surgery on the unity of our country,” he said on Saturday as quoted by Reuters.
Also on Saturday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu canceled a scheduled meeting with the HDP and accused the party of seeking “polarization in the country.” The PM was reacting to HDP politicians’ recent statements, in which they criticized the government’s crackdown on Kurds and demanded its cessation before any meeting between the HDP and the government could take place.
Turkey’ security operation in the country’s southeast continues with heavy fighting in the towns of Cizre and Silopi. More than 200 Kurdish fighters have been killed in the operation over the last two weeks, according to an army statement issued on Saturday.

A two-year ceasefire between the Turkish government and Kurdish militants fell apart in July, reigniting the three-decade conflict that has already claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people.

Turkish forces kill Kurdish baby, grandfather in clashes with PKK rebels: family

December 27, 2015 By administrator

DIYARBAKIR-AMED, Turkey’s Kurdish region,— A three-month baby and her grandfather were killed in crossfire in clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants in Turkish Kurdistan, in the country’s southeast, medics said on Sunday.

The family’s house in the southeastern Kurdish town of Cizre came under shelling on Friday night as clashes intensified between Turkish security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The baby, identified as Miray, was shot in the head, doctors said.

But the family called the ambulance when they saw Miray was breathing. Her 73-year-old grandfather Ramazan Ince was caught in the crossfire while he was carrying Miray to the ambulance, witnesses told AFP.

But it was already too late for her and her grandfather died in hospital, medics said.

The family claims that the fire came from the direction of the state hospital in Cizre, which is controlled by Turkish security forces.

Meanwhile seven months pregnant Zekiye Eren and eight months pregnant Asya Sezgin (37) gave premature birth under the strain of intensified Turkish bombardments late Saturday evening. Both mothers lost their lives due to belated access to hospital, ANF reported.

It is reported that bodies of two babies will be held at Cizre State Hospital’s morgue and laid to rest alongside other slain civilians once the curfew is ended.

Tensions are rising throughout Turkey’s restive southeast, where curfew has been in place in a number of towns due to clashes.

The operations mark a new escalation in the over three decade conflict with the PKK after a fragile truce collapsed in July after just one-and-a-half years.

The army said on Saturday nearly 200 PKK militants were killed in the operations since the offensive began in mid-December.

The PKK initially took up arms in 1984 against the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, with the aim of establishing an independent state for Turkey’s Kurdish minority, who make up around 22.5 million of the country’s 78-million population, although lately the demands have focused on greater autonomy and rights. The conflict has left tens of thousands dead.

A large Turkey’s Kurdish community openly sympathise with PKK rebels.

Source: eKurd

Germany deploy more troops & AWACS planes to it’s WW1 Ally Turkey against Russia

December 27, 2015 By administrator

0,,16703722_303,00 (DW) report The German military is preparing to send more troops to support NATO member state Turkey, bordering Syria. But it is unclear exactly how many soldiers might have to join the mission.

Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense informed the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, that several of NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control planes (AWACS) would temporarily be moved from Germany to the central Turkish city of Konya.

“Since Germany provides 30 percent of all personnel, our armed forces will clearly also be affected by the move,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said. However, it was unclear how many German soldiers exactly would be affected by the move.

The decision came after Turkey in November shot down a Russian jet fighter allegedly entering its air space while on a combat mission to neighboring Syria; the deployment of NATO’s AWACS planes is intended to stabilize the air space over Turkey and to avoid further shoot-downs of planes, as the diplomatic spat between the two nations that ensued threatened regional stability.

No need to go through parliament

The memo also pointed out that the Bundestag was not required to sign off the operation as this was not part of a combat mission. It specified that the self-declared “Islamic State” (IS) did not have any known air defenses of its own and that there were no indications that other parties involved in the conflict, such as Syria and Russia, would use their air force against NATO member Turkey. Some German parliamentarians have, however, demanded further explanations for the motivation behind the move.

The multinational crew aboard an AWACS plane is normally made up of 16 military personnel. With Germany providing roughly a third of the service members involved in the mission, the final number of Germans affected will depend on the number of planes agreed to be sent to the region.

A spokesman for Germany’s Ministry of Defense said that NATO was still in the “operational planning stages” and did not have any such details to divulge. The NATO plan also involves the strengthening of maritime defenses, which are also to be supplied by Germany as well as Denmark.

Finally the Kurd HDP asks for autonomy, as Davutoğlu cancels meeting on constitution dialogue

December 27, 2015 By administrator

n_93079_1 The People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has insisted on self-rule in southeastern Anatolia as Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu canceled a meeting with the party over the constitution, accusing the HDP of violence.

A meeting of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) called for the establishment of “democratic autonomous regions” for the solution of the Kurdish problem. The DTK had convened to discuss operations in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır and asked for “self-governance” in a statement on Dec. 27.

The group called for dialogue and negotiations and therefore sought the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The DTK also embraced “legitimate insurgency” and called on the people of Turkey to give support them.

People’s assemblies in the southeastern towns of Silopi, Cizre and Nusaybin as well as in the province of Şırnak have declared “self-governance” following clashes between PKK and the security forces.

Meanwhile, Davutoğlu canceled a planned meeting with the HDP, which is focused on the Kurdish issue and is a member of the DTK, suggesting its politics are rooted in violence, dashing faint hopes of greater parliamentary cooperation amid continued clashes in the southeast.

A written statement released by the Prime Ministry on Dec. 26 noted that Davutoğlu conveyed requests on Dec. 22 to hold separate meetings with the leaders of all opposition parties represented in parliament in line with the results of the Nov. 1 snap election.

All parties responded affirmatively to Davutoğlu’s request and, according to an earlier statement released by the Prime Ministry, Davutoğlu was set to meet main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. and with the co-chairs of the HDP at 4 p.m. on the same day. Davutoğlu was also scheduled to meet Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli at 2 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2016.

These requests were conveyed “without making discrimination” out of “respect for democracy culture” and “the importance attached to conciliation,” although the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power as a single-party government with a sweeping victory in the Nov. 1 vote, the Prime Ministry said.

“However, statements delivered by HDP executives in the last week are a reflection of a shallow political stance that is diametrically opposed to this understanding, is aimed at polarizing the country, is far from minimum political kindness, does not comply with our nation’s ancient culture of living together and appeals to conflict and tension,” said the Prime Ministry.

“With this approach, HDP executives have once more displayed that they don’t have the maturity to consider politics as a tool for solving problems. There is no sense anymore in meeting with this unstylish approach and sharing the same table,” it said.

In addition to the constitution, the 2016 Central Governance Budget Bill, planned reforms and possible amendments to the internal regulations of parliament were expected to be on the agenda during the meetings.

Come just for a cup of tea

In remarks published on Dec. 26, a senior HDP deputy said there would be little to talk about with Davutoğlu as long as clashes and curfews continue in southeastern Turkey.

“Quite apart from the fundamental right to life, if the prime minister visits us without recognizing the people’s right to breathe and their right to bury their loved ones, then he will only be offered to a cup of ‘Kaçak Çay’ and then leave,” HDP Ankara deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder told reporters, referring to Davutoğlu’s meeting with the HDP’s co-leaders scheduled for Dec. 30.

“Kaçak Çay,” simply translated as “smuggled tea,” also known as Ceylon tea, is much praised for its strong taste and blood-red color, particularly in the southeast.

The prime minister’s meeting could produce results only if the country is brought within constitutional bounds, Önder said, noting that he hoped “the prime minister would turn this opportunity into a democratic opportunity.”

“In contrast to the perception which they have attempted to form in public, our prime minister’s request is not at all to open a discussion on his resolute stance in the fight against terror,” the Prime Ministry said, ruling out any “bargaining in the ongoing fight against terror.”

“In our country where there is no single province that he does not visit, Mr. Prime Minister has accepted all invitations for ‘offers of tea’ by our nation, and has never returned this invitation which is a symbol of the hospitality of the generous Anatolia people. There is no environment of dialogue to be held in this meaning with people who have severed their connection with this culture,” the Prime Ministry said, in an apparent reference to Önder’s remarks.

Autonomy

In a move likely to further escalate tension with the government, HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has broached the possibility of building an independent Kurdistan.

“This resistance will end with victory, and everybody will respect the people’s will. Kurds will from now on be the political will in their own region. During these days when a historical breaking point is emerging, our people will decide whether [to live in] dictatorship or freedom and whether to live under one man’s tyranny or in autonomy,” Demirtaş said in a speech delivered at the opening of the DTK conference.

“We have made the decision on that. Turkey’s west should also join this decision that is made and lend support. There will be the reality of Kurdistan in the next century. Perhaps, Kurds will have their own independent state, the federal state, and cantons and autonomous regions as well,” he said.

December/27/2015

Erdogan poppet Barzani reject Russian claims of Turkey-bound ISIL oil tankers

December 27, 2015 By administrator

Iraqi Kurds have dismissed Russia‘s allegation that oil belonging to the radical terrorist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) travels through Iraqi Kurdistan before ending up in Turkey.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official Kifah Mahmoud said Russian claims about oil sales in the Kurdistan region do not reflect reality. “Our oil tankers go to oil refineries in Turkey through the Habur border gate.”

In an address to reporters on Friday, Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, director of the Main Operations Center of the Russian General Staff, said due to the increasing number of air strikes in Syria, oil smugglers traveling to Turkey have changed their route.

He claimed that the destination of the oil trafficking is Turkey and that ISIL terrorists, stripped of their usual route due to intensified air strikes in Syria, had changed their route to one traveling through the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Zakho.

Heavy fighting continues Between Terrorist State of Turkey & Kurdish PKK Fighters, 3 soldiers killed

December 27, 2015 By administrator

(Photo: DHA)

As heavy fighting continues in several towns in Turkey‘s predominantly Kurdish southeast between security forces and terrorists, three soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Cizre on Sunday.

Three soldiers lost their lives when a hand-made explosive planted by terrorists exploded as an armored vehicle was passing during fighting in the Nur neighborhood of Cizre, a statement by the General Staff declared on Sunday.

Two other security members, one of them a policeman, also got wounded in the attack. None of the wounded are in critical conditions, the statement said.

Turkish terrorist fleeing Syria for Turkey has doubled: Army

December 27, 2015 By administrator

The number of foreign-backed terrorists withdrawing from Syria toward the Turkish border has doubled in the wake of the recent achievements made by Syrian forces.

Syrian Army spokesman Brigadier General Ali Mayhoub said Saturday that the Syrian army, in cooperation with popular defense groups, has made fresh gains in the fight against Takfiri terrorists in many areas including the capital city, Damascus, Dara’a, Suwayda, Latakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs.

Also on Saturday, the Syrian air force destroyed a convoy of vehicles belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front in the village of al-Hbeit, on the border between Idlib and Hama provinces.

Meanwhile, army units discovered a 200-meter-long tunnel between Housh al-Farah and Housh Nasri in Douma Farms area, located east of Damascus, where the Takfiri Daesh terrorists are active, Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported.

The tunnel was reportedly used for the transfer of weapons and the movement of the militants.

The army also said it had destroyed command positions of militants in the countryside of Hama and Idlib provinces over the past 24 hours.

A command position of the so-called Ahrar al-Sham terrorist group was ruined in Hama, while the air force also destroyed a command position of the al-Nusra Front and other Takfiri groups in an area located east of the town of Latamna. They also destroyed a command position in Ma’ar Kibba village, north of Hama.

The Syrian army has recently carried out a number of successful operations to recapture areas under the control of terrorists. The military gains have been expedited since Russia, acting on an official request of Damascus, began an aerial campaign against terrorist positions in Syria on September 30.