Jigs
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2009
- Messages
- 3,735
- Reaction score
- 0
ANKARA - Agence France-Presse
Turkey has asked Iraq, the United States and the Regional Kurdish Administration in northern Iraq to hand over nearly 250 outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, members, the Hürriyet daily reported Saturday.
The list of 248 includes PKK chiefs such as Murat Karayılan, Cemil Bayık and Duran Kalkan, and Ankara wants the handover to be "as soon as possible," the newspaper said, quoting unnamed senior Turkish officials.
Turkey has also mooted a joint military operation "if necessary," Hüriyet said.
"The net is tightening," an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to experts, there are some 2,000 PKK members holed up in northern Iraq from where they stage attacks on Turkish territory.
The PKK has significantly escalated attacks against Turkish targets after jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan said in May that he was abandoning efforts for peace with Turkey and the terrorist group called off a unilateral cease-fire last month.
Three soldiers and 12 PKK members were killed in clashes Tuesday.
Turkish General İlker Başbuğ, the chief of general staff, last week strongly criticised the Regional Kurdish Administration in northern Iraq for failing to take action against PKK.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-asks-iraq-us-to-hand-over-pkk-members-2010-07-10
Turkey has asked Iraq, the United States and the Regional Kurdish Administration in northern Iraq to hand over nearly 250 outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, members, the Hürriyet daily reported Saturday.
The list of 248 includes PKK chiefs such as Murat Karayılan, Cemil Bayık and Duran Kalkan, and Ankara wants the handover to be "as soon as possible," the newspaper said, quoting unnamed senior Turkish officials.
Turkey has also mooted a joint military operation "if necessary," Hüriyet said.
"The net is tightening," an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to experts, there are some 2,000 PKK members holed up in northern Iraq from where they stage attacks on Turkish territory.
The PKK has significantly escalated attacks against Turkish targets after jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan said in May that he was abandoning efforts for peace with Turkey and the terrorist group called off a unilateral cease-fire last month.
Three soldiers and 12 PKK members were killed in clashes Tuesday.
Turkish General İlker Başbuğ, the chief of general staff, last week strongly criticised the Regional Kurdish Administration in northern Iraq for failing to take action against PKK.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-asks-iraq-us-to-hand-over-pkk-members-2010-07-10
