Wednesday, 2 May 2007US: PKK most prominent terrorist group in Turkey, HQ in northern Iraq
The U.S. State Department has once again recognized the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as the leading terrorist organization in Turkey and said it operates from headquarters in part of northern Iraq and directs its forces to target mainly Turkish security forces, government offices, and villagers who opposed to the PKK.
The State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism 2006 released Tuesday said the PKK, subject to regular name changes, currently operates as Kongra-Gel (KGK/PKK) and is composed primarily of Kurds with a historically separatist agenda.
The report said KGK/PKK attacks against Turkey increased significantly and claimed as many as 600 lives in 2006. It said in October, the KGK/PKK declared a unilateral cease-fire that slowed the intensity and pace of its attacks but attacks continued in response to Turkish security forces significant counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, especially in southeastern Turkey.
The report said PKK also maintained an active presence in Cyprus and used the island as a transition point and money collection center.
The report said the Greek Cyprot administration, being an EU member, fulfilled its responsibilities to treat PKK as a terrorist organization.
However the report said PKK did not carry out a terrorist activity neither in the north nor in the south of the island, indicating that the Turkish officials believe that this happened because of the presence of Turkish troops in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
The report said according to the data provided by the Swiss government, there are around 4,000 PKK sympathizers and 100 members (acting as coordinator) in this country, albeit there are no training camps.
The reporty pointed out that Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki appointed State Minister Sirvan al-Veyli as coordinator responsible for issues pertaining to PKK. It said this appointment is a sign that Iraqi government is reluctant to make Iraq a safe haven for terrorist organizations.
Frank Urbancic, Acting Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, held a news conference after the release of report.
Replying to questions Urbancic said, "as you may know, the United States is working actively against PKK. There is a trilateral cooperation between Turkey, the United States and the Iraqi Government. And I, in fact, am leading the part of Western Europe. As we work with our Western European allies we find that PKK is like an octopus. It has a head --actually, it has multiple heads in various West European countries and it has tentacles that go throughout Western Europe and as far as East European countries."
He said, "it is a criminal organization in addition to its terrorist activities and it conduct money-laundering operations. It also organizes human trafficking and mafia type operations."
The report said the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) which is a group affiliated with the PKK assumed responsibility for attacks on resort areas in southern and western Turkey, an attack on the office of a political party, and the bombing of a minibus carrying schoolchildren.
The report said other prominent terrorist groups included the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), a militant Marxist-Leninist party with anti-U.S. and anti-NATO views that seeks the violent overthrow of the Turkish state; and Turkish Hizballah (not affiliated with Lebanese Hizballah), an organization of Sunni Kurds with a violent history, which appeared to be providing social services and promoting Sharia in parts of the southeast.
The report said at year's end, a criminal trial was underway for the 72 defendants allegedly involved in the four November 2003 Al Qaida Istanbul bombings. The report added: "The trial concluded on February 16, 2007, with 48 of the 72 receiving jail sentences. Seven of those were sentenced to life in prison; 26 were acquitted. The lead defendants admitted to contacts with Al Qaida and warned of further attacks. Most of the other defendants denied responsibility for, or knowledge of, the bombings. Four of the suspects, including the brother of one of the four suicide bombers, were released pending trial in May after spending more than two and half years in prison. As of late November, Turkish prosecutors were seeking life imprisonment for Luay Sakka, a Syrian national linked to Al Qaida and the Zarqawi network. Sakka was connected to the funding of the November 2003 Istanbul bombings and the deaths of U.S. and Coalition Forces in Iraq, and was allegedly plotting a terrorist attack on Israeli cruise ships in Turkish ports when he was apprehended in August 2005."
The State Department lauded the anti-terrorism struggle of the Turkish security forces. "In addition to sharing intelligence information on various groups operating in Turkey, the Turkish National Police (TNP) and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) conducted an aggressive counterterrorist campaign and detained numerous suspected terrorists in scores of raids, disrupting these groups before terrorist acts could be carried out," the report said.
The State Department also praised Turkey's role in assisting the U.S. in the global war against terrorism. "After commanding ISAF II in 2002 and ISAF VII in 2005, in August, Turkey began a two-year joint rotational command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan for the Capital Regional Command along with France and Italy. Turkey also opened its first Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in November in Wardak Province and pledged $100 million in humanitarian assistance for the reconstruction and operation of schools and hospitals."
The report said Turkey also has provided significant logistical support to Coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, authorizing the use of Incirlik Air Base as an air-refueling hub and as a cargo hub to transport non-lethal cargo to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Almost 60 percent of air cargo for U.S. troops in Iraq transits Incirlik. Establishment of this hub allows six C-17 aircraft to transport the amount of goods it took nine to ten aircraft to move from Germany, and saves the United States almost $160 million per year."
One-third of the fuel (has been as high as two-thirds) destined for the Iraqi people and more than 25 percent of fuel for Coalition Forces transits from Turkey into Iraq via the Habur Gate border crossing. Turkey was active in reconstruction efforts, including providing electricity to Iraq. Turkish citizens continued to be killed, providing logistical support to Coalition Forces or performing reconstruction in Iraq. Turkey contributed headquarters personnel to the NATO Training Mission in Iraq (NTM-I), helped train Iraqi diplomats and political parties, and completed military leadership training in Turkey for 90 Iraqi officers as a further contribution to the NATO NTM-I.
The report called controversial Arab businessman Yasin al-Qadi as a U.N.-designated terrorist financier and said his assets remain frozen in Turkey.
The New Anatolian
2 May 2007 |
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Turkey
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