The Turkish government says the bombing was the work of the PKK, who are Kurdish separatists, not jihadis. The PKK denies involvement. The hijab that the accused bomber is wearing may be an indication of her allegiances and perspectives, or it may simply be some kind of decoy or disguise. “Woman holding rose arrested over […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: Erdogan Cracks Down on the Kurds
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is livid at the United States for allowing Kurdish forces to fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). And meanwhile, Turkey is still cracking down on the Kurds: Turkish police detained 90 people on Tuesday over suspected links to outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels, the government said, and the main pro-Kurdish […]
Turkey threatens action against US-allied Syrian Kurds plan
Turkey has vowed to: take action against a United States-supported plan to establish a Kurdish-majority force of 30,000 troops in Syria “regardless of who backs them”, cautioned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey is desperate to crush the Kurds. The tension is historic: When Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern republic in the ashes of […]
Obama White House says Turkey has right to attack Kurds
Muddying the waters. The Obama Administration apparently threw the Kurds under bus in order to induce the Turks to do something — anything — against the Islamic State. And so yet again Obama antagonizes an ally in service of an entity that is far less likely to be pro-American. “White House says Turkey has right […]