Turkey has accused the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of “openly supporting terrorism” by making “written and visual propaganda” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during a broadcast on August 20.
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“Now, we can talk about a mass youth uprising by the PKK“, said Cengiz Candar, author of a 2012 road map for peace talks and Kurdish disarmament.
“It was like paradise, but now it’s ruined”, said Mam Bashir, wading through dead leaves and ash in his orchard, which used to yield all kinds of fruit. “We mostly work with American customers and many have canceled, saying they do not feel safe”. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was in the capital Ankara at the time of the attack. Battles with Turkish security forces have shifted from remote military outposts to city streets as the militants attempt to show strength in urban areas.
The BBC responded by saying its report had offered a “unique insight” into the motivations of the PKK’s fighters and had also stated clearly that the group is considered a “terrorist organisation” by Turkey. It followed a woman who had escaped from being held by the Islamic State and was now being trained by the PKK to fight against the group. “They are more symbolic than crippling”, said Cagaptay.
The attack prompted a violent reaction against Turkish police and troops from Kurdish militants, who accuse Ankara’s Islamic-rooted government of complicity with IS. The PKK, for its part, has been blamed for attacks that have killed around 50 Turkish soldiers. The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union, launched its insurgency against the state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Out of the 771 killed, 430 died in airstrikes in northern Iraq, including the Qandil Mountain.
In the Sigire orchard, two young PKK guerrillas with Kalashnikovs slung over their shoulders appeared at one stage.
“We as guerrillas, under the right of self-defense for ourselves and our nation, declare democratic autonomy in Dersim”, a fighter in the video said. The accord also brought Turkish aircraft into the bombing campaign.
“I looked down and saw my foot was hanging off”, said Mukail, lying on a bed where he is still recovering.
“The unabashedly exploitative way the AKP, the president tried to use the funerals and I think there is enormous fury against the PKK for certain, but also against those in power”, says Ozel. Although both Kurdish, the PKK and KRG are rivals.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed last Tuesday to continue military operations against the PKK until its disarmament.
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Since then, dozens of raids have been launched across the Turkish border, mainly against PKK and only three officially against ISIS.
