Turkish intelligence details rebel Kurd actions

Hurriyet, Istanbul
4 Jul 04

Text of report by Ozgur Cebe, “The PKK purchased weapons worth 1.7m
dollars in a year”, published by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet (Ankara
edition) on 4 July

Diyarbakir, DHA: The security units determined that close to 1,500
armed terrorists connected to the PKK/Kongra-Gel Kurdistan Workers’
Party/People’s Congress of Kurdistan crossed into Turkey in the form
of small groups and that the organization had purchased weapons worth
1.7m dollars in the past year.

The intelligence units determined that the PKK started to make
preparations at 17 camps in northern Iraq against probable military
intervention by Turkey and the United States. It was stated that the
organization had purchased weapons worth 1.7m dollars from Iraq, Iran
and Armenia within the past year after the intervention of the United
States against Iraq. Among these weapons there are RPG-7 missile
launchers, Kannas-brand assassination weapons, Kalashnikov rifles,
G-3, G-1 and M-16 long-barrelled infantry rifles, Bixi heavy machine
guns, hand grenades and land mines.

Also, according to the intelligence reports, in the past six months,
the PKK organization has sent to Turkey over 1,500 armed terrorists in
small groups from the camps in northern Iraq and Iran.

In the report, it was warned that the groups could initiate mainly
hit-and-run and land mining actions and it was stated that Murat
Karayilan and the Northern Iraqi Fehman Husayn were at the head of the
armed wing of the organization. Recently, information was received
that the organization has reduced its political training to a minimum
and has increased its military training to eight hours a day .

The security units determined that a significant number of the seized
weapons belonging to the terrorists were Russian-made. Of the
Kalashnikov rifles, 71.6 per cent were of Russian origin, 14.7 per
cent were of Chinese origin, 3.6 per cent were of Hungarian origin,
and 3.6 per cent were of Bulgarian origin. It was also discovered
that 45.2 per cent of the weapons, such as the Kannas assassination
weapons, Bixi heavy machine guns, Arbiki, G-3, G-1 and M-16 were of
also of Russian origin, 13.2 per cent were of British origin and 9.4
per cent were of US origin. It is stated that 85.3 per cent of the
missile launchers were of Russian origin, 5.4 per cent of Iraqi
origin, and 2.5 per cent of Chinese origin. Of the anti-tank and
anti-personnel mines, 60.6 per cent were of Italian origin, 28.3 per
cent were of Russian origin, and 6.2 per cent were of German
origin. Of the defence and attack-type hand grenades, it was stated
that 72 per cent were of Russian origin, 19.8 per cent of US origin
and 8.0 per cent of German origin.
From: Baghdasarian