Kurds protest against Turkey as IS advances on Kobane

[CJCRANE]

Source: BBC News

Kurds across Turkey have vented their anger at the government's lack of military support for the defenders of the Syrian border town of Kobane being attacked by Islamic State militants.

Police used tear gas and water cannon as unrest spread to at least six cities. One protester has been killed.

Turkish troops and tanks have lined the border but have not crossed into Syria.

Fresh US-led air strikes have tried to repel IS, but Turkey's president warned Kobane was "about to fall".

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29518448

[ColesCountyDem]

1. What is Turkey supposed to do?

Short of invading Syria with troops, an act of war, there's not much they CAN do.

[CJCRANE]

2. They could provide weapons to the Kurdish forces.

They could allow Turkish Kurdish fighters to cross over the border into Syria.

They could have fired artillery at the advancing ISIS forces.

(Of course they never should have allowed hordes of foreign fighters to stream into Syria in the first place).

[frazzled]

5. They despise the Kurds

They think the Kurds in Turkey are all separatist PKK terrorists. They are not going to arm them

[former9thward]

15. "an act of war"?

So? That certainly has not stopped the U.S. from bombing Syria. I think most people would call that an act of war.

[ColesCountyDem]

19. We have Syria's tacit consent.

Turkey doesn't.

[former9thward]

24. We do not have Syria's consent.

I doubt that Syria will ever give consent to President "Assad must go" Obama.

[ColesCountyDem]

25. Yes, we do.

Before we began bombing in Syria, we informed their U.N. ambassador, who passed the information on to Damascus. Have you seen any sign whatsoever that Syria does NOT approve?

Additionally, please look up the definition of 'tacit'.

[former9thward]

26. Tacit is an subjective term.

You don't know what was told to the U.N. ambassador and you don't know what was passed to Assad. And you don't know what Assad said. Bombing another country is a pretty clear act.

Although in the case of the U.S. they are bombing everyone...

In Syria, the United States is bombing friend and foe alike

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-syria-the-united-states-is-bombing-friend-and-foe-alike/2014/10/02/28bac60a-499f-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html

[ColesCountyDem]

28. I know what the WH said.

The WH said exactly what I reported was said. Unless you have better information, I'm done arguing with you.

[freshwest]

16. They could allow them to leave Turkey to defend their people in Syria:

...Syrian Kurds, however, have scoffed at the rhetoric coming out of Ankara. They say that not only are the Turks not helping, they are actively hindering the defense of Kobani by preventing Kurdish militiamen in Turkey from crossing the border into the town to help in the fight.

"We are besieged by Turkey, it is not something new," said Ismet Sheikh Hassan, the Kurdish defense chief for the Kobani region...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-hit-by-airstrikes-near-kobani-kurdish-fighters-defend-syria-town/

to flamingdem:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=912711

From another thread by flamingdem, Turkey's Erdogan is not offering to send troops anywhere, but is complaining and wanting someone else to do it, while denying the Kurds the right to leave:

"The terror will not be over... unless we cooperate for a ground operation," Erdogan said in a televised speech in the eastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, according to Agence France-Presse, without indicating whether Turkey will participate in the anti-ISIL coalition. "Months have passed but no results have been achieved. Kobani is about to fall."

http://complex.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/10/07/with_kobani_on_the_verge_coalition_brass_will_weigh_ground_forces

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=912767

[It was not a pretzel]

18. stop aiding ISIS

- Stop letting IS train their forces on Turkish soil
- Stop treating IS terrorists in Turkish hospitals
- Stop allowing IS to replenish forces and supplies through Turkish supply lines
- Stop allowing IS to smuggle oil into Turkey for sale on the black market

- Allow Kurds to help Kurds by letting them into Syria to fight against IS

Make no mistake, Ergodan is an Islamist who gives tacit approval to IS, maybe he dreams of leading the caliphate himself one day?

[CJCRANE]

3. Isis in Kobani: Turkey’s act of abandonment may mark an irrevocable breach with Kurds

Isis in Kobani: Turkey’s act of abandonment may mark an irrevocable breach with Kurds across the region

A man died and dozens of people were wounded in demonstrations across Turkey today as Kurds vented their fury at the Turkish government for standing by as Isis fighters looked poised to take the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani in view of the Turkish border and the watching Turkish army.

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who burnt cars and tyres as they took to the streets mainly in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish eastern and southeastern provinces, although clashes erupted in the nation’s biggest city, Istanbul, and the capital Ankara as well.

The likely fall of Kobani may mark an irrevocable breach between Turks and Kurds in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Many of the 30 million Kurds in the region believe that, if Kobani falls, it will be because Turkey refused to help its defenders as they faced repeated Isis assaults and cut them off from reinforcements and fresh supplies of weapons and ammunition. “We are besieged by Turkey, it is not something new,” said Ismet Sheikh Hassan, the Kurdish Defence Chief for the Kobani region.

The already faltering peace process between the Turkish government and its Kurdish minority could be a long-term casualty of Kobani, particularly if its capture is accompanied by ritual massacres of surviving defenders by Isis.

LINK Independent UK

[mainer]

4. After years of terrorist attacks by Kurds against Turkey

Now the Kurds are protesting violently that Turkey isn't doing enough to help them?

The Kurds wanted their own independent nation. This is what happens when you become independent -- you're responsible for defending yourself.

[CJCRANE]

6. It seems like ISIS isn't that much of a threat or we aren't taking it seriously

because there are a lot of excuses for inaction from us and our allies.

[Comrade Grumpy]

8. The US has been dropping bombs on the outskirts of Kobani today.

The Turks have been twiddling their thumbs, when they're not poking them in the Kurds' eyes.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Okay, first of all, the Kurds don't have an independent nation.

The Iraqi Kurds are the furthest down that path, but they are still (for now) part of Iraq.

Second, you call them "terrorist attacks;" the Kurds see it as a war of national liberation.

The Kurds in Kobani are Syrians.

Turkey has helped turn Syria into a hell hole. It allowed ISIS to infiltrate through its national territory. It has allowed oil smuggling by ISIS.

Whose side is Turkey on? Turkey's, I guess. But if they thought they had a Kurdish problem before...

[mainer]

9. List of Kurdish terrorist attacks on Turkey

over the last 10 years. Courtesy of Wikipedia.


2005[edit]
July 2, 2005, six people are killed and 15 injured by a train bomb planted by Kurdish guerrillas, on a train travelling between Elâzığ and Tatvan in Bingöl province.[36]
July 6, 2005, a bombing at a holiday resort in Kuşadası kills at least five people including a British and an Irish citizen.[36]
2006[edit]
February 13, 2006, six people are injured in a bombing of an Istanbul supermarket. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claim responsibility for the blast and vow more attacks.[36]
June 25, 2006, a bombing hits a tourist resort near Antalya, killing four and injuring 28 people. The TAK claim responsibility for the attack.[36]
August 27, 2006, ten British and six Turkish citizens are wounded in a minibus bombing in Marmaris. Five people are injured by two other bombs.[36]
August 28, 2006, Three people are killed and 87 injured in a blast in Antalya. The TAK claim responsibility.[36]
September 12, 2006, a bombing in Diyarbakir kills ten civilians. The Turkish Revenge Brigade (TİT) claimed responsibility for the attack on their website, threatening to kill ten Kurds for every Turk killed in the conflict.[37]
2007[edit]
May 22, 2007: A suicide bombing hits Ankara, killing eight and wounding over 100. This attack was attributed to the PKK and the Turkish army decided to launch a military action against them.[38]
May 31, 2007: The Turkish military announced they were prepared to launch an incursion into Iraq. Leader of Iraqi Kurdistan Massoud Barzani announced that the Peshmerga will defend itself in case of a Turkish incursion.[citation needed]
June 2, 2007: American troops and civilians have withdrawn from all of Iraqi Kurdistan. Massoud Barzani again warns the Turkish military that any incursion will be fought against by the Peshmerga. An estimated 100,000 Turkish troops are mobilized on the border between Turkey and Iraq.[citation needed]
June 4, 2007: A PKK grenade attack kills seven soldiers and wounds six at an army base in Tunceli.[39]
June 5, 2007: There are reports of limited shelling and air strikes by the Turkish army attacking PKK bases in Iraqi Kurdistan.[citation needed]
June 7, 2007: Several hundred Turkish troops cross into Iraq on a "hot pursuit" raid against Turkish rebels.[40] Turkey declares a three-month martial law in Kurdish areas near the Iraq border and bans civilian flights to the area. It has been confirmed that 3 Turkish soldiers have been killed by a PKK landmine.[41]
September 27, 2007, two Turkish gendarme are killed in Bitlis Province by a bomb planted by Kurdish separatists.[36]
October 7, 2007: Yüksekova incident. 27 Turkish soldiers and 33 PKK militants are killed.
Oct 17, 2007: Turkish Grand National Assembly approves a government request for their troops to cross the Iraqi border to attack Kurdish rebels.[42][43] Action was delayed on request by the US government on the condition that "swift steps" were taken to deal with the militants.
Oct 21, 2007: 12 Turkish troops killed in PKK ambush on their army post, less than three miles from the Iraq border.

A demonstration against the PKK in Kadıköy, İstanbul on October 22, 2007
October 24, 2007: Turkish fighter jets bombed several PKK targets on the Iraqi side of the border.[44]
2008[edit]
January 3, 2008, a bomb attack against a military vehicle outside a school in Diyarbakır kills five and injures 110 people.[36]
February 21, 2008: Turkey launches a ground incursion into northern Iraq, sending 10,000 troops across the border supported by air assets.[45] A total of 27 Turkish soldiers and 724 PKK militants are killed.
May 9, 2008, three people are killed and five wounded in Batman province when a landmine destroys their minibus.[36]
July 27, 2008: Turkey blames the PKK for two bombings in Istanbul which kill 17 and injure 154.
August 7, 2008: The PKK claimed responsibility for the explosion that halted the operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.[46]
October 1, 2008: One Turkish security force soldier was killed, with another one wounded, in an attack staged by PKK militants in southeastern Turkey.[47]
October 4, 2008: Fifteen Turkish soldiers were killed, with another 20 also wounded, after a PKK attack from northern Iraq with the firing of heavy weapons at a military outpost in the Semdinli region bordering Iraq and Iran. At least 23 members of the PKK were also killed.[48]
A statement issued after an emergency meeting of the Counter Terrorism Higher Board, chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said: "Our struggle against terrorism will be pursued under all conditions and above all other concerns through effective cooperation between state bodies and every measure will be implemented with determination."[49]

The British foreign office said: "The United Kingdom utterly condemns Friday's terrorist attack in Hakkâri, Turkey. There can be no excuse for the use of violence to achieve one's aims. The UK stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Turkey in its fight against terrorism and strongly supports ongoing efforts between the Turkish and Iraqi authorities to prevent the PKK from using northern Iraq as a base from which to mount attacks against Turkey."[50][51]

The European Union also condemned the on the gendarmerie station in a statement released by the Union's French presidency, saying: "Europe expresses its complete solidarity with the Turkish authorities and offers its condolences to the families and friends of the victims."[52]

2009[edit]
April 29, 2009, a PKK detonated bomb kills nine soldiers after ripping through their vehicle in Diyarbakir province.[36]
May 4, 2009, Village Guards dressed as PKK fighters attack a wedding party with rifles and grenades, killing at least 44 people in a family feud.[36]
May 28, 2009: 6 Turkish soldiers were killed and 7 others were reportedly injured when their vehicle struck a landmine, in the Hakkâri Province of south-eastern Turkey.[53]
December 7, 2009: Seven Turkish soldiers were killed and three wounded in an ambush in Resadiye, Northern Turkey. The gunmen are suspected Kurdish militants, but their identities have not yet been confirmed.
2010[edit]
March 14, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and another soldier was injured during a clash with PKK militants, in the Hakkâri Province of south-eastern Turkey.[54]
April 15, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 2 were wounded during clashes in the Batman province.[55] In the Siirt Province 2 PKK militants were killed and 3 soldiers wounded.[56]
April 19, 2010: 2 Turkish police officers were killed after suspected PKK militants opened fire upon their police patrol car with automatic weapons in the northern Turkish province of Samsun.[57]
April 26, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 2 others were reportedly wounded after a landmine detonated, as their military vehicle was crossing a bridge near to the town of Dereli within the Giresun province.[58]
April 29, 2010: 2 Turkish soldiers were killed and another 3 other soldiers were wounded in a clash with PKK militants within the Hakkâri Province, in the south east of the country. These deaths and injuries come as the Turkish military launches a new military operation against PKK militants, in south eastern Turkey.[59]
May 1, 2010: At least 4 Turkish soldiers were killed and another 7 others were apparently injured after PKK militants attacked a military command post within the Tunceli Province, in eastern Turkey.[60]
May 2, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and one other soldier was reportedly wounded after PKK militants launched an attack upon a military command post within the Diyarbakır Province.[61]
May 7, 2010: 2 Turkish soldiers and 5 PKK militants were killed in a clash, after Kurdish militants launched an overnight attack upon a military command post in the Daglica district, in the south-eastern Hakkâri Province. One other soldier was also reportedly injured in this engagement.[62]
May 8, 2010: 2 Turkish soldiers were killed in two separate explosions, as they patrolled remote areas of both the Hakkâri Province and the Şırnak Province, which are border provinces of the country. Turkish special forces also pursued and killed at least 5 PKK militants, after they followed them into northern Iraq with helicopter gunships and drones. This Turkish incursion reportedly came as 2 other Turkish soldiers were killed by PKK militants, according to a military command website.[63]
May 21, 2010: At least 4 PKK militants were killed when Turkish military aircraft attacked rebel targets inside northern Iraq. This incident has been proclaimed the largest government operation in more than a year, according to military officials in the country.[64]
May 25, 2010: 1 child was killed and 4 other people were wounded after an unidentified explosive device detonated near a military barracks, in the Diyarbakır Province of south eastern Turkey.[65]
May 26, 2010: 4 PKK militants were killed by Turkish security forces, in a military clash within the mountainous Tunceli Province, in eastern Turkey.[66]
May 27, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and another 3 other soldiers were reportedly wounded after Turkish military forces clashed with PKK militants in the Şırnak Province, in south eastern Turkey near to the border with Iraq.[67]
May 29, 2010: 2 Turkish soldiers and 3 state-backed village guards were killed in two separate clashes with PKK militants within the Şırnak Province, of south eastern Turkey. It has also been reported that 6 other people were wounded in these two clashes.[68]
May 30, 2010: At least 2 Turkish soldiers, 3 village guardsmen, 1 private security guard and a PKK militant were killed in a series of clashes and attacks, which occurred in the Şırnak Province within the east of the country. It has also been reported that 3 other people were wounded in all of these incidents, engagements and clashes that occurred across the country.[69]
May 31, 2010: Iskenderun, Turkey PKK fighters launched a rocket attack against a Turkish naval base in the Mediterranean port city of Iskenderun, in southern Turkey. It was later reported that at least 6 Turkish soldiers were killed in this attack and that another 7 other soldiers were apparently wounded in this rocket assault.[70]
June 2, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and at least 3 other soldiers were wounded after a clash occurred between security forces and PKK militants within the Hakkâri Province of south-eastern Turkey. It has also been reported that 2 PKK militants were also killed in this engagement with the security forces within this particular province in the south east of the country.[71]
June 6, 2010: 3 PKK militants were killed in clashes with security forces within the Şırnak Province, which is located within eastern Turkey. This operation was launched after a roadside bomb blast was blamed on PKK militants however nobody was reportedly injured in this bombing.[72]
June 8, 2010: A roadside bomb exploded next to a police vehicle within Turkey's largest city of Istanbul. In this explosion it was reported that up to 15 people were injured, as a result of this blast. PKK militants are being suspected, of carrying out this particular attack.[73]
June 11, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 14 other people were wounded after PKK militants launched two attacks against security forces within the Hakkâri Province and the Tunceli Province in the east of the country.[74]
June 14, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 4 others were wounded after security forces clashed with PKK militants in the Hakkâri Province, which is located near to the border with Iraq.[75]
June 15, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and another 3 others were reportedly injured after an improvised explosive device exploded within the Şırnak Province, which is located within the east of the country.[76]
June 16, 2010: 4 PKK militants were killed by Turkish security forces in an offensive across the border into northern Iraq. The Turkish military have also claimed that air strikes were also launched against rebel positions deeper inside the Iraqi territory.[77]
June 19, 2010: At least 8 Turkish soldiers were killed and another 14 other soldiers were wounded in a clash with PKK militants at an outpost near the city of Semdinli, in the Hakkâri Province. It has been reported that this particular clash came as PKK militants launched a raid upon a Turkish outpost near to the city of Semdinli. It is known that 12 PKK militants were also killed in these subsequent clashes and that Turkish military aircraft later proceeded to bomb PKK militant positions in the north of Iraq.[78] Two further Turkish soldiers were killed when PKK militants trod on a land mine.[79]
June 22, 2010: At least 5 people were killed and 12 others were injured after a remote-control bomb exploded near to a military convoy within Turkey's largest city in Istanbul. It was later reported that those killed consisted of 4 Turkish soldiers and 1 civilian, as both military personnel and civilians were present aboard this military bus. Another 12 others were also injured in this bombing, with two of those in a critical condition. This incident was later considered by Turkish authorities to be a terrorist attack and PKK militants are being considered as the most likely of perpetrators. At least 7 PKK militants and 1 Turkish soldier were killed in clashes within different areas and provinces of the country. It was also reported that two soldiers and three civilians had apparently been wounded in these clashes and that one PKK militant had been captured by the Turkish security forces in these operations.[80][81]
June 24, 2010: 2 Turkish soldiers and 1 civilian were killed after PKK militants assaulted a group of villagers, as they returning home in the Elazığ Province, of eastern Turkey. It has been reported that four civilians and one Turkish soldier were also apparently wounded, as a result of this PKK militant ambush.[82]
June 25, 2010: 2 PKK militants were killed by Turkish police after the Turkish security forces attacked their hideout after they had received a tip-off, in the eastern sectors of the country.[83]
June 26, 2010: 1 PKK militant was killed and several others were wounded in a clash with the Turkish military within the Kars Province, which is located in the east of the country.[84]
June 28, 2010: Turkish military warplanes bombarded PKK military positions in the Sidakan district of the Arbil province within the mountainous region of north-eastern Iraq. There were no accurate reports on the extent to how much damage or how many casualties were sustained in this renewed bombing campaign.[85]
July 1, 2010: 2 Turkish soldiers, 3 government-allied militia and 12 PKK militants were killed in clashes near the town of Pervari within the Siirt Province, in south-eastern Turkey.[86]
July 6, 2010: 3 Turkish soldiers and 13 PKK militants were killed in two separate incidents after Kurdish rebels attacked a Turkish military outpost and yet also attacked a Turkish military patrol, in both the Hakkâri Province and the Elazig Province within south-eastern Turkey. It was also reported that a total of nine Turkish soldiers were apparently injured in these two particular attacks towards the Turkish military within these two different provinces, which are located within the east and the south-eastern sectors of the country.[87]
July 7, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 2 other soldiers were injured after PKK militants launched an overnight attack upon a Turkish military outpost within the Batman Province, in south-eastern Turkey.[88]
July 15, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and another soldier was reportedly injured, as a result of an explosive device detonation, which is suspected to have been staged by PKK militants within the Van Province of eastern Turkey.[89]
July 20, 2010: 6 Turkish soldiers were killed and 15 other soldiers were reportedly injured after PKK militants launched an attack upon a military outpost, near to the town of Cukurca within the Hakkâri Province of south-eastern Turkey. It was also reported that 1 PKK militant was also reportedly killed in this attack upon the military outpost. It was later reported that one Turkish soldier was killed in a separate attack after his military unit was fired upon by PKK militants within the Van Province, of eastern Turkey. This latest attack brings the total number of Turkish soldiers to be killed in PKK militant attacks to seven on this particular day.[90][91]
July 24, 2010: 4 Turkish soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion near to the town of Doğubeyazıt within the Ağrı Province, of eastern Turkey. PKK militants are suspected of carrying out this particular bombing.[92]
July 27, 2010: 4 Turkish police officers were killed after unidentified assailants launched an armed attack upon a police station in the town of Dortyol, which is located within the Hatay Province of south-eastern Turkey. PKK militants are suspected of carrying out this recent attack.[93]
August 1, 2010: 4 Kurdish civilians (including BDP members) were killed after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb within the Batman Province of south-eastern Turkey. It is believed that PKK militants reportedly planted this explosive device, which killed all those within the vehicle.[94]
August 3, 2010: 1 Turkish police officer and 3 PKK militants were killed after Kurdish militants attacked police buildings in the town of Eruh, which is located within the Siirt Province of south-eastern Turkey. It was also reported that 1 police officer was also apparently injured in these clashes within this town.[95]
August 5, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier and 6 PKK militants were killed in military clashes between the two forces. In a separate incident, it was reported that 3 PKK militants were killed in the Hakkâri province within the south-east of the country in clashes with the Turkish military. Meanwhile it is also known that another 3 PKK militants were also apparently killed after they opened fire at a local governor's office within the eastern city of Van. In this clash, it was reported that 2 police officers apparently sustained injuries in this militant attack. It was reported that police also managed to confiscate explosives from a car near to the city of Diyarbakir, in south-eastern Turkey. It is known that 2 suspected PKK militants were reportedly detained by the authorities after this incident.[96]
August 8, 2010: 3 Turkish soldiers were killed and 1 other police officer was apparently injured after PKK militants detonated an explosive device by remote near to Turkish security forces within the Mardin Province of south-eastern Turkey.[97]
August 9, 2010: 5 PKK militants were killed in clashes with the Turkish military within the Batman Province of south-eastern Turkey. It was also reported that 2 Turkish soldiers were also reportedly injured during these military clashes.[98]
August 10, 2010: 2 Kurdish civilians were killed and 1 other civilian was wounded after a suspected mine explosion detonated near to an oil pipeline within the Şırnak Province of south-eastern Turkey. PKK militants are suspected of carrying out this particular bombing.[99]
August 24, 2010: 1 Turkish imam was shot dead after prayer in Hakkâri.[100] According to Hakkâri governor, assailants were identified as PKK members.[101]
September 6, 2010: 1 imam from Şırnak was shot dead after prayer.[101]
September 7, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier and 9 PKK militants were killed after clashes broke out after militants had raided a hydroelectric power plant within the Dinar Deresi region of the Tunceli province, which is located in eastern Turkey.[102]
September 12, 2010: 1 Turkish soldier was killed in a landmine explosion within the Eruh district of the Siirt Province, in south-eastern Turkey. PKK militants are suspected over carrying out this particular landmine attack.[103]
September 16, 2010: At least 9 Kurdish civilians were killed and 3 others were reportedly injured in a minibus blast, which is believed to have been caused by a suspected mine explosion that occurred near to the city of Hakkâri, in south-eastern Turkey. PKK militants are suspected of carrying out this particular bombing.[104]
2011[edit]
March 15, 2011: 3 PKK militants who were noticed during a routine field scanning mission were killed.[105]
April 2011: In Kahramanmaraş in Turkey's Mediterranean Region, three PKK militants were shot dead by security forces amidst protracted street protests.[106]
May 2011: 12 PKK militants were killed while they were trying to pass the Turkish-Iraqi border.
July 14, 2011: A PKK grenade starts a forest fire near Silvan that leaves 13 Turkish soldiers dead and seven injured.[107]
July 24: Three Turkish soldiers are killed in an ambush near Ikipinar, in Mardin province.[108]
August 1: An ambush in Baskale, Van, leaves three Turkish soldiers dead.[109]
August 17: Nine soldiers and a village guard die in landmine blasts in Hakkâri province.[110][111]
August 18: In response to the Hakkâri attack, Turkish F-16s launched attacks on PKK positions in northern Iraq. Turkey claimed to have hit 168 targets in Iraq, including in the Qandil Mountains.[112]
September 21: PKK killed 4 Kurdish civilian women and wounded 2 others in Siirt by attacking a civilian vehicle.[113]
October 19: PKK killed 24 Turkish soldiers during overnight attacks on military installations in Hakkâri province.[114] PKK lost 23 militants in the attack,[115] and at least 49 more on the following operations by Turkish army.[116]
December 28–29: 35 Kurdish civilians (probably smugglers), mostly teenagers, were killed by Turkish airforce jet bombardment on the Turkish-Iraqi Kurdistan border. The Turkish government offered compensation for the families of the killed,[117] who according to Turkish officials were mistakenly killed in airstrike, identifying them as PKK militants. Turkish President Erdogan expressed personal regret over the killing.[118] Nevertheless, the Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish party, the BDP, called the event a “crime against humanity”.[119]
2012[edit]
February 8–9: Turkish clashes with PKK militants kill 14. Among the PKK, 13 were killed, 3 were captured and two wounded; 1 Turkish soldier was killed as well.[120]
February 11–12: Turkish warplanes performed overnight strikes on suspected PKK targets in northern Iraq.[119] The planes targeted the Zab and Hakurk areas, returning successfully according to Turkish military sources.[119]
May 25: A suicide attack was made to a police office in Kayseri, killing one police officer.[121]
June 12: A bomb was exploded in front of a police office in İstinye, İstanbul. Only the perpetrator died.
July 23: A military operation was commenced in Şemdinli, Hakkari. Operation lasted until August 11, 115 guerillas and 8 soldiers were killed.[122]
August 9: In Foça, İzmir, a bus exploded in a bombing that killed two soldiers and wounding several civilians.
August 12: Kurdish MP Hüseyin Aygün was kidnapped in his home town by PKK. He was released two days later.
August 19: On the first day of the religious fest, 15 guerillas were killed in the province of Hakkari and two soldiers died in a mine explosion.[123]
August 20: On the evening of the second day of the religious fest, a car full of explosives was exploded in the province of Gaziantep, killing 9 civilians (four of them were children) and wounding 56.[124] With this attack, the number of civilian casualties since 2007 reached 65, including 23 children.[125]
August 21: In the morning, nine soldiers died in a car accident involving a military vehicle in the Kurdish populated region, Uludere, Şırnak.[126] On the evening, 6 PKK fighters have been killed in Şırnak.[127]
August 22: A landmine explosion near a military vehicle killed 5 soldiers.[128]
August 23: Turkish soldiers killed 21 PKK fighters who launched a bomb attack on a military convoy that killed five soldiers.[129][130]
September 1: After a week of unofficial ceasefire, PKK attacked a group of soldiers and wounded one. On the evening of the same day, Turkish forces killed an insurgent in a pursuing conflict.[131]
September 2: 10 soldiers were killed in an outpost raid in Beytüşşebap, Şırnak, leaving 20 insurgents dead in return.[132] With this attack, since June 2011, nearly 800 people have died in the conflict in Turkey, including about 500 PKK fighters, more than 200 security personnel and about 85 civilians, according to estimates by thinktank the International Crisis Group.[133]
September 7: 30 insurgents were killed and 1 soldier died in a major offensive in Mount Kato, following a suspicious arsenal blast in Afyon which claimed the lives of 25 soldiers.[134]
September 9: 25 PKK fighters were killed in cross-border bombings.[135]
September 10: 2 Turkish soldiers were killed and 7 others were wounded in an armed conflict in Şemdinli, Hakkari.[136]
September 12: 2 Turkish soldiers and 25 PKK fighters were killed in an armed conflict in Şemdinli, Hakkari.[137]

[Rhinodawg]

11. A few isolated minor isolated incidents and this is your proof?

lol

[mainer]

14. Yeah, LOL. Monthly terrorist attacks for years

with thousands of casualties and that's a few "minor isolated incidents".

Now the Kurds demand that the people they've been bombing come in and defend them.

[Violet_Crumble]

21. Murdering wedding guests and children is merely 'isolated minor incidents'?

I'll tell you what that is. It's terrorism. Attacks on civilians is terrorism, no matter what the ethnicity or religion of the militant groups carrying it out, and the PKK is listed as a terrorist group by NATO and many countries.

Having said that, the Kurds need all the help and assistance they can get now, though I would have thought the folks who cheer Palestinians being bombed by Israel and justifying it because a small number of Palestinians are terrorists would have held a consistant view when it comes to the Kurds and the PKK.

[mainer]

10. My point was that the Kurds WANT an independent state

Now they're discovering the downside of being independent. They would be on their own.

[freshwest]

17. Those in Turkey who want to go and defend themselves are being forced to stay home:

...Syrian Kurds, however, have scoffed at the rhetoric coming out of Ankara. They say that not only are the Turks not helping, they are actively hindering the defense of Kobani by preventing Kurdish militiamen in Turkey from crossing the border into the town to help in the fight.

"We are besieged by Turkey, it is not something new," said Ismet Sheikh Hassan, the Kurdish defense chief for the Kobani region...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-hit-by-airstrikes-near-kobani-kurdish-fighters-defend-syria-town/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=912711

And a poster suggests the reason why, here:

"Months have passed but no results have been achieved" -- well, that's not true.

It's been two whole months since the initial Yazidi/Mt. Sinjar deal that started airstrikes. For the first couple weeks, our airstrikes were defensive only in nature. They didn't become predominantly offensive/strategic in nature until after the beheadings, closer to September. It's really only been a few weeks that a coalition was formed. Turkey, however, wants to declare our actions a failure so that we dig in ever deeper, put in our own ground forces in Syria, and create the results they really want --getting rid of Assad. They've done nothing, spent no money, risked zero pilots' lives, and yet they criticize our efforts. That takes insane balls.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014912767#post3

That's the way I'm seeing it but the problems of the peoples in the region go back for centuries.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Now "At least nine people died" in the protests (nt)

[quadrature]

13. why is Kobani, so important?

Also called .?. Ayn al Arab, or something like that.

look at a map.
Kobani seems to be on the edge of Kurd territory,
and its only usefulness is that it sits astride
of a rail line from Turkey to Syria

[ReverendDeuce]

20. According to a local who is livetweeting from Kobane, ISIS is getting torn new assholes...

https://twitter.com/cahitstorm

He's hiding outside of the city and livetweeting the bombing with photos. Apparently ISIS is getting pounding by B-1 bombers and are fleeing.

[CJCRANE]

22. Thanks for the update. nt

[ReverendDeuce]

23. Check my thread in GD, this shit is off the chain!

The battle rages... Kobane is fighting back HARD!

[flamingdem]

30. This guy is funny. He just reported that a tracer

was 30 meters from him. He must be right in the town.

[mainer]

27. If they allowed Turkish Kurds to cross the border and fight in Syria

Wouldn't Syrian fighters be justified in crossing the border to fight in Turkey?

I can understand why Turkey would want to keep its citizens out of cross-border conflicts. It would bring the war right into their territory. Right now, Turkey just wants the fighting to stay outside its borders.

[flamingdem]

29. Also if they go in there as a Nato country that has implications

If say Isis fires on them and they react, then Nato can go in? Not sure of how that would work.

[CJCRANE]

31. They let foreign fighters cross into Syria

but it seems like that was a one-way ticket.