Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Turks investigate Barzani's involvement with PKK
Kurdistan, Politics, Security
(RFE/RL) - The Prosecutor's Office in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir has launched an investigation into charges that Mas'ud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdish autonomous regional government, is supporting PKK fighters, international media reported on June 18. A Turkish nationalist organization, the Kemalist Thought Association (ADD), called for a probe and the seizure of any assets Barzani and his family may have in Turkey.
On April 7, Barzani said Iraqi Kurds could intervene in Kurdish-majority cities in Turkey if Ankara continues to oppose Iraqi-Kurdish ambitions to annex oil-rich Kirkuk. Many in Turkey believed that he meant giving support to the PKK. His comments generated outrage in Turkey, where more than 37,000 people have been killed since 1984 in fighting between Turkish security forces and PKK fighters.
Labels: ADD, Diyarbakir, Kemalist Thought Association, Kirkuk, Massoud Barzani, PKK, Turkey
