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Rebels belonging to
the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan stand
in formation after returning from cross-border raids. |
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Diplomacy
is focusing and headlines portray Kurdish militants attacking into
Turkey. Turkey's
legislature has approved and Turkish military and politicians are
threatening to invade northern Iraq. |
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Becoming
more frequent, these raids and this confrontation are an obvious
focus of diplomacy. Insurgents
of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK,
are the Kurdish guerrillas who fight
Turkey. |
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Likely
as meaningful are the raids to the east into Iran.
An angry similar battle has been
waging on the Iraqi border with Iran.
Here Kurdish guerrillas ambush Iranian
forces and retreat back to their hideouts
in northern Iraq. Guerrillas
from the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, known
as the PJAK, have been waging insurgency into
Iran. |
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The PJK and PKK have
close ties and similar objectives. |
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Leaders
of the two groups claim the
US classifies
the PKK as a terrorist group because it is fighting Turkey
which is an important US ally.
Furthermore, they claim that the PJAK is not classified as a
terrorist group by the US because it is fighting Iran. |
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The two groups
appear to largely be one group fighting on two
fronts. Both groups have the same goal and are fighting
campaigns to win autonomy and rights for Kurds in Iran and Turkey.
The two groups share leadership, logistics
and allegiance to Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader imprisoned in
Turkey. |
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Most Kurds are
Sunni Muslims. These guerrillas reject
Islamic fundamentalism. Rather, they trace
their roots to a Marxist past. They continue
today to espouse what they label "scientific
socialism", as well as, promoting women's
rights. |