Istanbul violence: Gunfire and blast in Turkish city

[Anthea]

The New York Times

Suicide Attack by Kurdish Militants in Turkey Kills 2 Soldiers

ISTANBUL — Kurdish militias carried out a suicide attack on a Turkish military police station in eastern Turkey on Sunday, killing two soldiers and wounding 24 others, the local authorities said.

In an overnight assault, members of the separatist Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or P.K.K., rammed a tractor loaded with two tons of explosives into the station located in the Dogubeyazit district of Agri province, close to Turkey’s border with Iran, the local governor’s office said in a statement.

The attack comes at a time of heightened tensions between the armed group and the Turkish state, following the collapse of a two-year ceasefire and Turkey’s resumption of air raids on P.K.K. targets in northern Iraq.

In 2013, both sides had reached a truce when Turkey vowed to grant its Kurdish minority greater rights and autonomy in exchange for a cease-fire after a three-decade insurgency that claimed more than 40,000 lives.

Link to Full Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/world ... .html?_r=0

[Piling]

Suicide attacks are not good for the image of Kurds. It is the fanatics' weapons, like Al Qaeda and Daesh. For gaining support from public opinion, it is harmful.

[Anthea]

Suicide attacks are not good for the image of Kurds. It is the fanatics' weapons, like Al Qaeda and Daesh. For gaining support from public opinion, it is harmful.

Not much good for the people who carry out the suicide attacks

[Piling]

I wonder how PKK persuades its fighters to commit suicides. Jihadists believe in their special paradise and their 72 virgins. Obviously, PKK does not.

[Kurdistanwarrior]

Dast xosh

[Anthea]

I wonder how PKK persuades its fighters to commit suicides. Jihadists believe in their special paradise and their 72 virgins. Obviously, PKK does not.

Very interesting point

I completely understand how someone who feels that they have no future might opt for paradise and 72 virgins - or even their own chocolate factory - perhaps they are told that their families will be well looked after for life and be greatly honoured to have a martyr in the family

[Azadi]

I am amused and usually ponder on how Kurds are taking the deaths of their own people so lightly. Our only obstracle is our stupidity and utter disgust for each other, and I've yet to see us overcome this menace we put our nation in.

[Piling]

Well, a suicide-bomber is the one who takes his/her own death very very lightly, if we think of that : that's the message.

[Azadi]

Giving your life for what you believe in is the ultimate sacrifice, in this case this individual has done it in retaliation and to avenge the ruthless killing of 30+ innocent students. I would expect demeaning responses from our enemies rather than from us, but from what I see online and IRL, that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Piling]

As far as I am concerned, suicide attacks are always a 'dirty war' option. Not very efficient in a military aspect, and it gives an image of fanatic and terrorist to a movement, whatever the motives of revenge. Fortunately, Peshmergas are not brainwashed like that and just fight as soldiers, not as Jihadists.

[Azadi]

I am saying that I have seen more accusations of terrorism from our fellow Kurds than from foreigners. PDK/PUK calling them terrorists, and PKK calling them traitors in return. Like a circus to the world. Both are correct and both are wrong too. It is like an never ending circle, with none to slim chance of ever winning any kind of support from the leading powers of the world.

[Anthea]

I personally do not agree with killing any other sentient being

There is NOTHING brave about intentionally destroying another life

Many thousands of innocent women and children have been killed and maimed by heartless suicide bombers

I understand the need the Peshmerga had to physically fight the Iraqi military in order to protect fellow Kurds from total annihilation

Kurds under Turkish occupation suffered terrible hardship but absolutely nothing by comparison

It is time Kurds stopped arguing amongst themselves - united and claimed what is theirs by right

Violence is causing retaliation - more innocent Kurds will die - strong possibility HDP MPs will lose their seats

[Azadi]

You got to be the epitome of this forum, but I have no idea what you mean by intentionally destroying another life - with emphasis on 'nothing'. By firing a rifle, you do not have any intent or motive to kill? Or are you saying that only suicide bombers are capable and solely responsible for civillian casualties, and other means of killing innocents are mere collateral damage?

Regarding south-Kurdistan, we can twist it however we want, but the history shows that it was the political parties that spread the bloodshed. And for what? A piece of land KRG still hasn't implemented into its territory? Having a government since '91, but still part of a miserable, failed occupation state - whom the Kurds themselves are fueling to keep alive?

I would suggest you read about the Kurds in north-Kurdistan and their "hardships". More than half have been forcefully stripped of their ethnicity, the other left with nothing but a vague shadow of their former self - a broken and forgotten language, culture, history, economy. How much of this was before suicide bombings?

I have no intent to go into Saddams horrific genocide, but no one can say the political parties of the South had no involvement in the massacre of our own. We are equal to the law, but some are above it seems. And we forget.

[Piling]

Simple simple simpleton Political survey of Kurdistan :

KDP wants an independant Kurdistan with Barzani as president.

UPK-Gorran want an independant Kurdistan with anyone BUT Barzani as president ; in the same time, they have no serious leader to propose instead. So they ask a parliamentary regime, that would mean an independant Kurdistan without president.

Yekgirtu-Komala, and other islamists want an independant Kurdistan but ruled by Sharia. In the same time, they are so poorly unified each others that both parties would prefer a KDP-UPK-Gorran president than one from their own islamist rivals, so they want a Kafiristan and stayed in divine opposition.

PKK wants what wants Öcalan (at least officially) and no one (even God) is able to say what Öcalan wants really except that he is absolutely against an independant Kurdistan whoever the leader could be (because he is not in the race).

KDP-Iran wants what PJAK does not want and PJAK wait for PKK and Iran to claim what they are supposed to want.

PYD wants 1/3 what PKK wants (theorically) and 1/3 what Baath exiges and 1/3 what KDP-Syria does not want.

So they fight all each others, but there are improvements if we compare with 90s, when KDP/Turkey fought with PUK/PKK/Iran : until now, it is a war of words and Kurdish media bashing has replaced guns and bullets.

[Londoner]

Japanese Kamikazes didn't do it for any rewards in the next world.

This suicide Kurd martyr didn't do it because he was extremist, he didn't it because of the sense of desperation.