Kurds’ withdrawal from Turkey to Iraq, Syria nearly complete

Kurds’ withdrawal from Turkey to Iraq, Syria nearly complete

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — The Kurdish Workers Party is expected to complete its withdrawal from Turkey by July. Kurdish politicians said some 2,000 PKK fighters would withdraw from Turkey. The officials said PKK squads were steadily moving through southeastern Turkey for either Iraq and Syria. On June 3, Turkey’s military reported a PKK attack […]

Turkish intel monitoring exit of Kurdish fighters to northern Iraq

Turkish intel monitoring exit of Kurdish fighters to northern Iraq

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — The Kurdish Workers Party has begun its withdrawal from Turkey. Officials said the PKK has been pulling out fighters from Turkey as part of a ceasefire agreement. “They [PKK] surely know the routes from which they have entered Turkey and can use the same routes to leave,” Turkish Prime Minister […]

Turkey prepares for ‘delicate’ withdrawal of some 2,000 Kurdish guerrillas

Turkey prepares for ‘delicate’ withdrawal of some 2,000 Kurdish guerrillas

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — The Kurdish Workers Party has scheduled the launch of a military withdrawal from Turkey on May 8. A senior commander said the PKK, headed by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, would pull out units from Turkey should Ankara suspend all counter-insurgency operations. Murat Karayilan, who controls the PKK base in northern […]

Kurdish rebels reportedly withdrawing from Turkey

Kurdish rebels reportedly withdrawing from Turkey

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — The Turkish intelligence community has determined that up to 2,000 Kurdish rebels were operating in the country. Security sources said the intelligence community was ordered to issue an assessment of how many operatives of the Kurdish Workers Party were deployed in Turkey. They said the community estimated the number at […]

Turkey seeks ceasefire with Kurdish Workers Party

Turkey seeks ceasefire with Kurdish Workers Party

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has been negotiating a disarmament agreement with the Kurdish Workers Party. Officials said Turkey’s intelligence community was examining the prospect of a long-term ceasefire with the PKK. They said the intelligence community offered the PKK a range of options after Ankara determined that Kurdish insurgents could not be defeated […]

Turkey launches air, ground assaults on Kurds in northern Iraq

Turkey launches air, ground assaults on Kurds in northern Iraq

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has launched another military offensive against Kurdish insurgents around Iraq. The Turkish military said air and ground units were operating in the southern province of Hakari in late July. A military statement said at least 39 suspected fighters of the Kurdish Workers Party were killed in the latest campaign, […]

Syria’s Kurds opt for Assad, Iran money over threat of Sunni regime

Syria’s Kurds opt for Assad, Iran money over threat of Sunni regime

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Syria’s Kurdish community, more than 15 months into the Sunni revolt, has refused to join the campaign to oust President Bashar Assad. Western diplomatic sources said the Kurdish community of more than two million have chosen to stay on the sidelines in the revolt against Assad. The sources said that […]

Report: Hands-off U.S. approach to Syria could lead to ‘terrifying outcomes’

Report: Hands-off U.S. approach to Syria could lead to ‘terrifying outcomes’

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Civil war in Syria would endanger U.S. national security, a report said. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy asserted that Washington’s policy against military intervention assured the widening of the civil war in Syria. The institute, in a report by executive director Robert Satloff, raised the prospect that President […]