The Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC) condemns today’s terrorist attack by the Marxist-Leninist Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in the southeastern Turkish province of Batman. Seven Turkish troopers were killed and two wounded.
The United States Department of State immediately condemned the attack: “PKK terrorists should end their acts. We stand with Turkey in the fight against terrorism.”
TASC stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey against international terrorism. TASC expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the killed and prays for the recovery of the wounded Turkish troopers. TASC supports efforts to defeat the PKK, and opposes efforts that help it.
• According to United States law, the PKK is an international terrorist organization. According to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), the YPG (“People’s Protection Units”) is the Syrian affiliate of the PKK.
• According to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the case of
Ibrahim Parlak
, the PKK persecutes and kills people of Turkish heritage and Kurds who do not support its totalitarian communist agenda. The PKK has killed over 40,000 people, mostly Turkish citizens of Kurdish heritage.
• According to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the case of
Seyhhamat Ozdemir
, Turkish counter-terror operations, including the capture and interrogation of suspects, do not constitute persecution against people of Kurdish heritage, but legitimate security measures against the PKK and those who provide material support to the PKK.
• According to the Supreme Court in the case of
Humanitarian Law Project
, providing any support to even the PKK’s non-violent activities, constitute a violation of U.S. anti-terror laws.
