PKK planning to assassinate Turkish diplomats in Europe
27.02.2007
Today's Zaman
İstanbul
A report by the weekly news magazine Aksiyon claimed in its last issue that the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was preparing to carry out assassinations against Turkish diplomats in Europe and bomb various centers serving Turkey in imitation of the ASALA campaign of violence.
The ASALA, or Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, was a terrorist organization that targeted Turkish diplomats in Europe during the 1970s and 1980's.
According to the Aksiyon report, the interrogation of 15 suspected PKK operatives in custody in France shocked the members of the terrorist organization. The elimination of one of the PKK's most important financial networks also angered the imprisoned head of the group Abdullah Öcalan, currently being held in a prison on İmralı island. In a statement made through his lawyers, Öcalan said, "Europe always cheats; they are not reliable."
Rumors of a possible cross-border operation Turkey is likely to conduct is unsettling the organization, says Aksiyon. According to the magazine, going through difficult times "on the mountain" in northern Iraq, the PKK is about to launch a new plan to perpetuate its existence.
10 hitmen tasked
The magazine says instructions were given two weeks ago by a Syrian named Fehman Hussein -- who is an important figure in the organization and who uses the code name Dr. Bahoz Erdal -- to a terrorist named Kemal Bacıyan, also possibly a code name, who is said to have made his way to Europe by way of Greece to organize assassinations.
Another important detail highlighted by the magazine claims that a group of ten trained hitmen has been assigned the task of assassinations in Europe where Bacıyan will reportedly organize them and take care of logistics.
Dr. Bahoz Erdal firmly and persistently maintains that the armed fight of the PKK will continue at all costs. The blow struck to the terrorist group's financial sources by European police in operations in France and Belgium is being described as reasons behind Bahoz's instructions to carry out ASALA-like assassinations, which are aimed at shocking Turkey while also intimidating European countries.
The magazine comments that the name of this terrorist is really striking: from his surname, Kemal Bacıyan is supposedly of Armenian descent. The magazine claims that he knows the tactics of ASALA as he was once a member. There are about 30 Armenian citizens in the PKK. According to another argument, Bacıyan was chosen to secure the support of militant-leaning personalities from among the Armenian Diasporas in Europe.
The Armenian terrorist group ASALA began killing Turkish diplomats in Europe in 1975 with the assassination of Danış Tunalıgil, Turkey's ambassador to Austria, in Vienna. From 1975 to 1984, 34 Turkish diplomats were killed by the ASALA.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Today's Zaman
İstanbul
A report by the weekly news magazine Aksiyon claimed in its last issue that the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was preparing to carry out assassinations against Turkish diplomats in Europe and bomb various centers serving Turkey in imitation of the ASALA campaign of violence.
The ASALA, or Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, was a terrorist organization that targeted Turkish diplomats in Europe during the 1970s and 1980's.
According to the Aksiyon report, the interrogation of 15 suspected PKK operatives in custody in France shocked the members of the terrorist organization. The elimination of one of the PKK's most important financial networks also angered the imprisoned head of the group Abdullah Öcalan, currently being held in a prison on İmralı island. In a statement made through his lawyers, Öcalan said, "Europe always cheats; they are not reliable."
Rumors of a possible cross-border operation Turkey is likely to conduct is unsettling the organization, says Aksiyon. According to the magazine, going through difficult times "on the mountain" in northern Iraq, the PKK is about to launch a new plan to perpetuate its existence.
10 hitmen tasked
The magazine says instructions were given two weeks ago by a Syrian named Fehman Hussein -- who is an important figure in the organization and who uses the code name Dr. Bahoz Erdal -- to a terrorist named Kemal Bacıyan, also possibly a code name, who is said to have made his way to Europe by way of Greece to organize assassinations.
Another important detail highlighted by the magazine claims that a group of ten trained hitmen has been assigned the task of assassinations in Europe where Bacıyan will reportedly organize them and take care of logistics.
Dr. Bahoz Erdal firmly and persistently maintains that the armed fight of the PKK will continue at all costs. The blow struck to the terrorist group's financial sources by European police in operations in France and Belgium is being described as reasons behind Bahoz's instructions to carry out ASALA-like assassinations, which are aimed at shocking Turkey while also intimidating European countries.
The magazine comments that the name of this terrorist is really striking: from his surname, Kemal Bacıyan is supposedly of Armenian descent. The magazine claims that he knows the tactics of ASALA as he was once a member. There are about 30 Armenian citizens in the PKK. According to another argument, Bacıyan was chosen to secure the support of militant-leaning personalities from among the Armenian Diasporas in Europe.
The Armenian terrorist group ASALA began killing Turkish diplomats in Europe in 1975 with the assassination of Danış Tunalıgil, Turkey's ambassador to Austria, in Vienna. From 1975 to 1984, 34 Turkish diplomats were killed by the ASALA.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Labels: Turkey and the Kurdish Question
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 10:21 AM
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