PKK pledges to turn Turkey into warzone if attacked
As Turkey's top officials have begun preparations for a possible two-alternative military intervention into Syria, according to local media, the PKK's second-in-command, Murat Karayılan made a statement to Fırat News Agency, a PKK mouthpiece, in which he said that if Turkey intervenes in Rojava, the Kurdish-majority area in northeastern Syria, then the PKK will turn the entire country into a warzone.
With intensifying clashes between the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD) People's Protection Units (YPG) on the border, Turkey has tightened its security measures against any threat that might penetrate its territory.
The National Security Council (MGK) meeting that was held on Monday in Ankara discussed the recent developments in the region as well as the implementation of the regulation in military intervention in Syria reportedly to be put into effect this week, as Ankara's concerns are at their peak that the violence in Syria could extend into Turkey. In this regard, Karayılan said: "If, during the MGK meeting or any other meeting, Turkey decides to intervene in the cantons in Rojava, then the PKK will perceive this as an intervention in not only Rojava, but against all Kurdish people." He further added that an intervention into the Syrian town of Kobani is no different than an intervention into the district of Amed in Diyarbakır.
In response to a question regarding the claims of Ankara planning to establish a 110-kilometer-long and 28-kilometer-wide buffer zone stretching from Karkamış to Öncüpınar as well as the Turkish Armed Forces conducting a synchronous operation on both sides, Karayılan said: "If they intervene in Rojava then we will intervene [in Turkey] and turn the entirety of Turkey into a warzone." Karayılan had said late last year that the reconciliation process had died on the vine, as he declared the cease-fire in place "finished" due to increased attacks by ISIS. In accordance with Karayılan's threats, a series of attacks by the PKK terrorist organization have occurred since the beginning of June in Dağlıca, where a main Turkish Armed Forces base tasked with maintaining security on the Turkish-Iraqi border is located.
Additionally, senior figures such as Co-President Cemil Bayık from the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), which is an umbrella organization that includes the PKK, affirmed in early April 2015 that though they are ready to end armed struggle, laying down arms was not listed on their agenda. Throughout the process toward the June 7 general elections, the PKK allegedly sent letters to locals warning them not to vote for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The reconciliation process with the PKK was on the brink of reaching a conclusion when imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan announced in his annual Nevruz message in March that it was time to lay down weapons and continue the cause through democratic means. However, the process was crippled again after the recent deadly attack in Ağrı province. Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the government has taken the necessary steps in the reconciliation process, but the PKK and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) failed to keep their promises. The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in the 1980s in order to carve out an independent Kurdish state in the east. It is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the U.S. The government launched the reconciliation process in 2013 to end the long-running conflict in southeastern Turkey, which has led to the death of nearly 40,000 people.
With intensifying clashes between the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD) People's Protection Units (YPG) on the border, Turkey has tightened its security measures against any threat that might penetrate its territory.
The National Security Council (MGK) meeting that was held on Monday in Ankara discussed the recent developments in the region as well as the implementation of the regulation in military intervention in Syria reportedly to be put into effect this week, as Ankara's concerns are at their peak that the violence in Syria could extend into Turkey. In this regard, Karayılan said: "If, during the MGK meeting or any other meeting, Turkey decides to intervene in the cantons in Rojava, then the PKK will perceive this as an intervention in not only Rojava, but against all Kurdish people." He further added that an intervention into the Syrian town of Kobani is no different than an intervention into the district of Amed in Diyarbakır.
In response to a question regarding the claims of Ankara planning to establish a 110-kilometer-long and 28-kilometer-wide buffer zone stretching from Karkamış to Öncüpınar as well as the Turkish Armed Forces conducting a synchronous operation on both sides, Karayılan said: "If they intervene in Rojava then we will intervene [in Turkey] and turn the entirety of Turkey into a warzone." Karayılan had said late last year that the reconciliation process had died on the vine, as he declared the cease-fire in place "finished" due to increased attacks by ISIS. In accordance with Karayılan's threats, a series of attacks by the PKK terrorist organization have occurred since the beginning of June in Dağlıca, where a main Turkish Armed Forces base tasked with maintaining security on the Turkish-Iraqi border is located.
Additionally, senior figures such as Co-President Cemil Bayık from the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), which is an umbrella organization that includes the PKK, affirmed in early April 2015 that though they are ready to end armed struggle, laying down arms was not listed on their agenda. Throughout the process toward the June 7 general elections, the PKK allegedly sent letters to locals warning them not to vote for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The reconciliation process with the PKK was on the brink of reaching a conclusion when imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan announced in his annual Nevruz message in March that it was time to lay down weapons and continue the cause through democratic means. However, the process was crippled again after the recent deadly attack in Ağrı province. Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the government has taken the necessary steps in the reconciliation process, but the PKK and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) failed to keep their promises. The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in the 1980s in order to carve out an independent Kurdish state in the east. It is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the U.S. The government launched the reconciliation process in 2013 to end the long-running conflict in southeastern Turkey, which has led to the death of nearly 40,000 people.
Last Update: June 29, 2015 20:02