Aljazeera.net, Qatar
Oct 12 2007

PKK: Fighters moving back to Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has said its fighters are moving
from northern Iraq back into southern Turkey where they intend to
target the country’s politicians.

The announcement comes as the Turkish government prepares to seek
permission from parliament to carry out a cross-border offensive
against the PKK.

The rebel group fighting for an independent homeland in southeastern
Turkey, issued a statement on Friday that could place more pressure
on Ankara to be seen to be taking action against the group.

"The source of this war is in north Kurdistan [eastern Turkey] …
the guerrillas are not moving to the south [northern Iraq], on the
contrary they are moving to … places in the north," the statement
said.

"The guerrillas are positioning themselves against the attacks of the
Turkish state."

"AKP [the ruling party] and CHP [opposition party] organisations in
the region are among our targets", it said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, earlier said he is
ready to face international criticism should his country decide to
attack suspected Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq.

Paying the price

Asked about world reaction to a possible incursion, Erdogan said:
"After going down this route, its cost has already been calculated.
Whatever the cost is, it will be met."

"When we make a decision, we take into account Turkey’s interests."

He also emphasised that Ankara had no territorial ambitions in Iraq.

After a recent increase of attacks by Kurdish fighters on Turkish
troops, Erdogan’s government has decided to seek approval from
parliament next week for a major military operation to target members
of the PKK, who use northern Iraq as a base to attack Turkish
targets.

Erdogan said he wanted to secure parliament’s approval now to avoid
spending time later with the procedure if, and when, a cross-border
operation was warranted.

Warnings

Over the past few days the has sought to calm tensions with Turkey,
after a vote on Wednesday in which the US House of Representatives
foreign affairs committee branded the killings of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during World War One as genocide – a charge Turkey has
firmly denied.

The US has also urged Ankara not to take unilateral action against
the PKK.

The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, have also cautioned
against such moves.

Meanwhile, analysts predict that an operation is more likely after
the US congressional committee’s decision.

The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU.

More than 37,000 people have been killed since the group began
fighting for a homeland in 1984.

Turkey and Iraq signed an accord last month to combat the PKK, but
failed to agree on a clause allowing Turkish troops to engage in "hot
pursuit" against rebels fleeing into Iraqi territory, as they did
regularly in the 1990s.

Ankara claims the PKK has used bases in northern Iraq to launch a
renewed offensive inside Turkey that killed 15 soldiers last week.

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