Latest news with #Kurdishmilitants
Malay Mail
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Turkiye's Kurdish regions not yet ready to believe in peace process
HAKKARI, July 13 — South-east Turkey, where the army has battled Kurdish militants for decades, is not yet convinced that lasting peace is at hand. In a slickly managed ceremony across the border in Iraq Friday, members of the Kurdish rebel group PKK destroyed their weapons as part of a peace process underway with the Turkish state. But on the streets and in the tea houses of Hakkari, a Kurdish-majority town some 50 kilometres from the Iraqi border, few people express much hope that the deadly conflict is over. Police, including undercover officers, patrol the streets of the small town and make their presence felt, an AFP team observed, which discouraged locals from wanting to talk to visiting reporters. One tea drinker who was willing to speak asked not to be filmed. 'We don't talk about it because we never know what will happen tomorrow,' he explained. 'We can say something now and tomorrow be punished for it,' he added, noting that previous peace attempts have failed. The conflict has caused 50,000 deaths among civilians and 2,000 among soldiers, according to Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 'All kinds of persecution' On the pavement in front of the restaurant where he works, Mehmet Duman raised his eyebrows. At 26, he's already seen enough to make him doubt. 'They segregated us, beat us, simply because we're Kurdish,' he said. 'We witnessed all kinds of persecution. 'So from now on, if the state wants a future for Turkey—if they want Turkey to be a good environment for everyone—they must stop all this,' he said. 'The state must also take a step' to match the symbolic operation to destroy PKK weapons in Iraq. 'Turkey has won,' Erdogan said Saturday, a day after the PKK's symbolic destruction of weapons signalling the start of the disarmament process. 'Eighty-six million citizens have won,' he added. While he has opened a peace process with the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, he has also continued his crackdown on opposition parties. The government has arrested hundreds of members of the CHP, a social-democratic, secular party descended from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. The main opposition force to Erdogan, it is rising in the polls. 'Since the beginning of the peace process, Turkey has become a much more authoritarian country,' said political analyst Berk Esen. 'The disarmament of a terrorist organization should, or could, lead to democratization and social peace, but it probably won't.' Crackdown on opposition Those arrested include the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, the party's likely candidate in the next presidential elections, and the mayors of other major cities who took power when CHP made major gains in March 2024 local elections. Accused of 'corruption', they deny the charges against them. The crackdown has also hit opposition media outlets, such as the Sozcu channel. It was forced into silence after 16 fines and suspensions since January—'one every two weeks', its director, Ozgur Cakmakci, noted Tuesday evening as lights went out. 'There is little doubt that there is an intention to liquidate opposition channels as part of an authoritarian project,' said Erol Onderoglu, the Turkish representative of Reporters Without Borders. Yesterday morning, before the plenary session of his AKP party, Erdogan sought to be reassuring. 'We know what we are doing. No one should worry, be afraid, or question anything. Everything we are doing is for Turkey, for our future and our independence,' he insisted. — AFP By Ionut IORDACHESCU
Arab News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Turkiye's Kurdish region finds it difficult to accept peace is at hand
HAKKARI, Turkiye: Southeast Turkiye, where the army has battled Kurdish militants for decades, is not yet convinced that lasting peace is at hand. In a slickly managed ceremony recently held across the border in Iraq, members of the Kurdish rebel group PKK destroyed their weapons as part of a peace process underway with the Turkish state. But on the streets and in the tea houses of Hakkari, a Kurdish-majority town some 50 kilometers from the Iraqi border, few people express much hope that the deadly conflict is over. One tea drinker who was willing to speak asked not to be filmed. 'We don't talk about it,' he said. We know what we are doing. No one should worry, be afraid, or question anything. Everything we are doing is for Turkiye, for our future and our independence. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye's president The conflict has caused 50,000 deaths among civilians and 2,000 among soldiers, according to Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mehmet Duman, a local, said: 'The state must take a step' to match the symbolic operation to destroy PKK weapons in Iraq. 'Turkiye has won,' Erdogan said Saturday, a day after the PKK's symbolic destruction of weapons signaling the start of the disarmament process. 'Eighty-six million citizens have won,' he added. While he has opened a peace process with the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, he has also continued his crackdown on opposition parties. The government has arrested hundreds of members of the CHP, a social-democratic, secular party. The main opposition force to Erdogan, it is rising in the polls. Those arrested include the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, the party's likely candidate in the next presidential elections, and the mayors of other major cities who took power when CHP made major gains in March 2024 local elections. Accused of 'corruption,' they deny the charges against them. The crackdown has also hit opposition media outlets, such as the Sozcu channel. On Saturday morning, before the plenary session of his AKP party, Erdogan sought to be reassuring. 'We know what we are doing. No one should worry, be afraid, or question anything. Everything we are doing is for Turkiye, for our future and our independence,' he insisted. The PKK announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict. The move came after PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group in February to convene a congress, and formally disband and disarm. Ocalan renewed his call in a video message broadcast on Wednesday, saying, 'I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons.' The PKK issued a statement from the fighters who were laying down their weapons, saying that they had disarmed 'as a gesture of goodwill and a commitment to the practical success' of the peace process. 'We will henceforth continue our struggle for freedom, democracy, and socialism through democratic politics and legal means,' the statement said. Turkish parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said that the initial disarmament step had proceeded 'as planned,' but cautioned that the process was far from complete. 'There's still a long way to go in collecting many more weapons,' Kurtulmus said. 'What matters is ending the armed era in a way that ensures weapons are never taken up again.' The official noted that the Turkish parliament was close to setting up a commission to oversee the peace process. Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan's nationalist ally who initiated the peace process, welcomed the ceremony, saying it marks 'historic developments that signal the end of a dark era.'
Malay Mail
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Turkey's Kurdish regions not yet ready to believe in peace process
HAKKARI (Turkey), July 13 — South-east Turkey, where the army has battled Kurdish militants for decades, is not yet convinced that lasting peace is at hand. In a slickly managed ceremony across the border in Iraq Friday, members of the Kurdish rebel group PKK destroyed their weapons as part of a peace process underway with the Turkish state. But on the streets and in the tea houses of Hakkari, a Kurdish-majority town some 50 kilometres from the Iraqi border, few people express much hope that the deadly conflict is over. Police, including undercover officers, patrol the streets of the small town and make their presence felt, an AFP team observed, which discouraged locals from wanting to talk to visiting reporters. One tea drinker who was willing to speak asked not to be filmed. 'We don't talk about it because we never know what will happen tomorrow,' he explained. 'We can say something now and tomorrow be punished for it,' he added, noting that previous peace attempts have failed. The conflict has caused 50,000 deaths among civilians and 2,000 among soldiers, according to Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 'All kinds of persecution' On the pavement in front of the restaurant where he works, Mehmet Duman raised his eyebrows. At 26, he's already seen enough to make him doubt. 'They segregated us, beat us, simply because we're Kurdish,' he said. 'We witnessed all kinds of persecution. 'So from now on, if the state wants a future for Turkey—if they want Turkey to be a good environment for everyone—they must stop all this,' he said. 'The state must also take a step' to match the symbolic operation to destroy PKK weapons in Iraq. 'Turkey has won,' Erdogan said Saturday, a day after the PKK's symbolic destruction of weapons signalling the start of the disarmament process. 'Eighty-six million citizens have won,' he added. While he has opened a peace process with the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, he has also continued his crackdown on opposition parties. The government has arrested hundreds of members of the CHP, a social-democratic, secular party descended from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. The main opposition force to Erdogan, it is rising in the polls. 'Since the beginning of the peace process, Turkey has become a much more authoritarian country,' said political analyst Berk Esen. 'The disarmament of a terrorist organization should, or could, lead to democratization and social peace, but it probably won't.' Crackdown on opposition Those arrested include the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, the party's likely candidate in the next presidential elections, and the mayors of other major cities who took power when CHP made major gains in March 2024 local elections. Accused of 'corruption', they deny the charges against them. The crackdown has also hit opposition media outlets, such as the Sozcu channel. It was forced into silence after 16 fines and suspensions since January—'one every two weeks', its director, Ozgur Cakmakci, noted Tuesday evening as lights went out. 'There is little doubt that there is an intention to liquidate opposition channels as part of an authoritarian project,' said Erol Onderoglu, the Turkish representative of Reporters Without Borders. Yesterday morning, before the plenary session of his AKP party, Erdogan sought to be reassuring. 'We know what we are doing. No one should worry, be afraid, or question anything. Everything we are doing is for Turkey, for our future and our independence,' he insisted. — AFP By Ionut IORDACHESCU
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-07-2025
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
7 more Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12
Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants. The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday, Reuters reported. 'We pray for God's mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,' the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected. It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out 'inspections and evaluations' and attend a ceremony as the soldiers were flown to their hometowns for burial. Speaking at the ceremony, Guler commended the troops' 'great courage and sacrifice,' adding: 'Our grief is immense and our feelings are beyond words.' The ministry said the incident took place in the 'Claw-Lock Operation region' — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022. There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas. Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades. The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye. Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament. According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by 'terrorist gunfire' during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years. The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.
CTV News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Turkiye says 5 soldiers killed by methane gas during cave search in northern Iraq
A smoke riser from an oil dept stuck by Turkish airfare, near the town of Qamishli, Syria, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad) ISTANBUL— Five Turkish soldiers have died after exposure to methane gas on Sunday while searching a cave in northern Iraq for the remains of a fellow soldier killed by Kurdish militants in 2022, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. Soldiers were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, which is colorless, odourless, flammable and can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration. 'They were immediately transported to the hospital (but) despite all interventions, five heroic personnel were martyred,' the ministry said in a statement. 'Rescue operations in the area continue.' The ministry did not give a specific location for the incident other than the 'Claw-Lock Operation region,' a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in north Iraq in April 2022. The Turkish unit affected by methane gas was searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by 'terrorist gunfire' during a search-and-clear operation in May 2022, the ministry said. For the last three years, teams have been hunting for his remains. The cave was at an altitude of 852 metres (2,795 foot) and was known to have been used as a hospital by the PKK in the past, although it had since been cleared by Turkish soldiers. The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the soldiers were 'exposed to a high concentration of accumulated methane gas.' Turkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict which has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Turkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades. The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkiye. Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament. The Associated Press
