August 15, 2006
No solution for the armed conflict in the near future
By Vladimir van Wilgenburg
Kurdishaspect.com
The HPG Commando Council released a declaration on
the 4th on August. The HPG gave a response to the
recent discussions about disarming the armed guerrilla’s
of the PKK (Also known as HPG) as a part of the
solution for the conflict.
The HPG (People’s Defence Forces) declared that
their guerrilla forces have more then 20 years experience
and have the support of the [Kurdish] people. According
to the HPG the clashes continue because Turkey still
doesn’t recognise the rights of the Kurdish people.
”There can only be talks about the disarmament if the politics of denial and destruction is ended, if Abdullah Öcalan is released and that conditions of a free life are created”. Plans that don’t suffice to these terms will not lead to the disarmament of the HPG declared their Commando Council.
But they declared that only “decisions about disarmament can be taken by our president Apo, our freedom movement and our people”.
Last week Abdullah Öcalan also gave a response to the recent discussions about this subject. But the PKK leader didn’t speak about releasing himself from prison. It’s clear that the Turkish government would never accept the release of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Recently the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gül declared that the PKK is disrupting solidarity between Iraq and Iraq. He described the PKK as the “seeds of discord preventing solidarity between Kurds and Turks in Iraq”. He reminded the Kurdish authorities of “their responsibilities in the fight against the PKK”.
The Kurdish authorities have called for a peaceful solution for the conflict. This is understandable, because violence also affects Iraqi-Kurdistan. Recently one civilian was killed by Turkish and Iranian artillery fire that was targeting PKK camps. The Kurdish authorities are worried by the continuing armed conflicts, which could threaten the Kurdish autonomy.
The secret Turkish operations of which an example can be seen in the movie “Valley of the Wolves Iraq” are continuing. According to the pro-PKK blog increased-turkish-military-and-intelligence-activity-in-southern-kurdistan-and-iraq , over 100 Turkish MIT (National Intelligence Agency) agents and military soldiers have infiltrated in southern Kurdistan in the last week together with members of the Turkish Special Forces.
It seems like Turkey is trying to play the Turkmen card, because the MIT agents are assigned to reorganize the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF).
Global Information Systems Defense Foreign Policy reported that “the Turkish Special Forces units are working within the area arming and supporting Turcomen Iraqis in preparation for what they believe could be imminent Iranian attempts to destabilize and control the region”.
“Since March 2006, the Turkish Army has conducted 53 operations into Iraqi Kurdistan, ostensibly against bases and assets of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan), but in reality much of the activity has been to build a network of capabilities based on the Turcomen of the region”.
Berxwedan of the Dozame blog gave more information about an interesting development in Kurdistan. According to his sources the KRG forces have abandoned check points on roads from and to MIT and Iraqi Turkmen Front headquarters in South-Kurdistan. This has resulted in an upsurge of attacks against Kurds in Kirkuk.
The conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdish rebel group has claimed more than 37,000 lives since the PKK started their armed rebellion. After a ceasefire in 2004 there was an upsurge of violence, from the PKK and a PKK splinter group called TAK. It seems like there will be no end of the violence soon, because the Turkish government isn’t looking for a dialogue, but is trying to destroy the PKK. As a result the military operations, artillery bombings against the PKK, the bombing campaign of the TAK and the attacks and operations of the PKK will continue. The infiltration policies of the MIT in South-Kurdistan, the artillery bombings of the Turkish army and the recent military build-up along the Turkish borders, could threaten the PUK and KDP stronghold in the federal Kurdistan region of Iraq.
