Turkey’s “Final Word” to the PKK

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been a source of contention within Turkey’s borders for years, and now members may face the most imminent opposition in the days following the end of Ramadan, Today’s Zaman reports. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has alluded to stepping up defense tactics to subdue PKK terrorist activity, and has allegedly planned to advance onto their northern Iraqi base. “Everything will be different after Ramadan,” Erdogan noted.

In the past, Turkish military forces have conducted planned attacks on PKK targets in the north of Iraq following a mandate passed by Parliament. The current mandate is set to expire October 17, but it looks as if Parliament will opt to extend the mandate by another year.

Other operations carried out by Turkish officials have most recently included the deployment of police officers from special operations areas to areas “most at risk when it comes to terrorist threats,” the article reports. Additionally, plans to deploy officers to the Black Sea region are underway. Increased mobility to those regions is a direct result of heightened violence by the terrorist organization in Turkey’s rural countryside.

Also, Iranian officials reported that they captured the head of the PKK, Murat Karayılan, as well as the “number two” of the organization over the weekend. Additionally, some analysts such as Emre Uslu believe that this is a tactic being used by Iran to “trap” Turkey by the PKK.