Turkey's PKK rebels say they kidnapped lawmaker
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Kurdish militants said on Monday they were behind the kidnapping of a Turkish opposition lawmaker and that increased military operations after his abduction at the weekend were putting his life at risk.
Clashes between the army and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is waging an armed campaign for autonomy in southeastern Turkey, have risen sharply in recent weeks ahead of Wednesday's 28th anniversary of the start of the conflict.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said PKK attacks are directly linked to the war in neighboring Syria, where Ankara says a PKK-linked group now controls some border areas.
PKK fighters seized Huseyin Aygun of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Sunday on a road in the Ovacik district of Tunceli province, which he represents in parliament, the local governor's office said.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/13/us-turkey-kurds-idUSBRE87C0EZ20120813
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