"Showdown for Ataturk's Republic By Slater Bakhtavar - posted Monday, 26 November 2007
'A nation which makes the final sacrifice for life and freedom does not get beaten.' Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Turkey.
In early October, members of the separatist Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) stationed in northern Iraq, instigated a clandestine military attack which led to 12 casualties. This attack is a minuscule part of a spate of intensified attacks by the the PKK, whose agenda includes the autonomy of Turkey’s southeast region and an end to Turkish assimilation. They have infiltrated segments of northern Iraq and Turkey, and use ferocious tactics which include, but are not relegated to, kidnappings, beheadings, tactical bombings, and pillaging. This month alone, the Kurds have racked up a body count of 42 Turks and kidnapped eight others. In just 20 years it is believed that the organisation, which is designated a 'terrorist organisation' by the United States and Europe, has murdered over 30,000 people."
More:Showdown for Ataturk's Republic - On Line Opinion - 26/11/2007
