Latest news with #mainly-Kurdish
Express Tribune
19-05-2025
- Express Tribune
Turkey destroys 30,000 marijuana plants
Listen to article Turkey's drug squad has destroyed 30,000 marijuana plants being secretly grown in a vast terraced garden by the Tigris River that is on the UN Cultural Heritage list, media reports said on Sunday. In a joint sunrise operation involving divers and boats backed by helicopters and drones, drug enforcement agents and local police raided the Hevsel Gardens in Diyarbakir in the mainly-Kurdish southeast, IHA news agency and Cumhurriyet newspaper reported. They did not say when the raids took place. Inside the gardens, which cover an area stretching some 700 hectares (1,700 acres) between Diyarbakir Fortress and the Tigris River, they found thousands of marijuana plants growing at 31 locations. The plants would have yielded about 5.3 tonnes of cannabis, worth approximately two billion Turkish lira ($51 million), the reports said. There was no immediate comment from the interior ministry. The growers had taken advantage of the fact that vehicles cannot enter Hevsel Gardens, due to the nature of the terrain, to set up tents to conceal and protect the plants, and were using irrigation systems to draw water from the Tigris, the reports said. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been arrested. In 2015, the terraced gardens -- which are still used for growing agricultural crops -- were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site alongside Diyarbakir fortress, in an acknowledgement of their historical and cultural significance. AFP
NDTV
18-05-2025
- NDTV
30,000 Secretly Grown Marijuana Plants Destroyed In Turkey: Report
Turkey's drug squad has destroyed 30,000 marijuana plants being secretly grown in a vast terraced garden by the Tigris River that is on the UN Cultural Heritage list, media reports said on Sunday. In a joint sunrise operation involving divers and boats backed by helicopters and drones, drug enforcement agents and local police raided the Hevsel Gardens in Diyarbakir in the mainly-Kurdish southeast, IHA news agency and Cumhurriyet newspaper reported. They did not say when the raids took place. Inside the gardens, which cover an area stretching some 700 hectares (1,700 acres) between Diyarbakir Fortress and the Tigris River, they found thousands of marijuana plants growing at 31 locations. The plants would have yielded about 5.3 tonnes of cannabis, worth approximately two billion Turkish lira ($51 million), the reports said. There was no immediate comment from the interior ministry. The growers had taken advantage of the fact that vehicles cannot enter Hevsel Gardens, due to the nature of the terrain, to set up tents to conceal and protect the plants, and were using irrigation systems to draw water from the Tigris, the reports said. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been arrested. In 2015, the terraced gardens -- which are still used for growing agricultural crops -- were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site alongside Diyarbakir fortress, in an acknowledgement of their historical and cultural significance.
Hamilton Spectator
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Key dates in the PKK's decades-long armed struggle against Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has formally declared its dissolution on Monday, marking a historic milestone that could bring an end to one of the world's longest-running conflicts. For decades, the insurgency has extended beyond Turkey's borders into northern Iraq and northern Syria, claiming tens of thousands of lives. The decision raises hopes for peace and a significant shift in the region's stability. Here are some key dates in the history of the organization that is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and several Western nations: Nov. 27, 1978 The PKK — an acronym for its Kurdish name, Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan — is officially founded in the village of Fis, in Turkey's mainly-Kurdish province of Diyarbakir by Abdullah Ocalan and a group of political science students from Ankara University. The Marxist organization was initially established to create an independent Kurdish state, but its objectives evolved over time to include autonomy and greater rights for Kurds, who make up an estimated 20% of the population. 1980 A military coup in Turkey forces much of the PKK to flee to neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon, where the fighters train in the Bekaa Valley. Ocalan leaves a year earlier, in 1979. Aug. 15, 1984 The PKK carries out its first armed attack against Turkish security posts, marking the start of its armed insurgency. 1998 Turkey issues an ultimatum to Syria, warning Damascus to expel Ocalan or face military action. The pressure forces Ocalan to leave his long-time base. Ocalan would spend the next four months traveling between several European countries, including Russia, Italy and Greece. Feb. 15, 1999 Ocalan is captured in Nairobi, Kenya by Turkish special forces — reportedly with assistance from the CIA. He is flown to Turkey and jailed on Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, off Istanbul. June 29, 1999 Ocalan is convicted of treason and sentenced to death. His sentence is later commuted to life imprisonment, after Turkish abolishes the death penalty in 2002. August 1999 Ocalan calls on his groups to declare a unilateral ceasefire and withdraw from Turkish territory. The PKK announces a ceasefire that remains largely in effect until 2004. 2009-2011 PKK representatives hold secret talks with Turkish intelligence officers in Oslo, Norway, which ultimately break down. March 21, 2013 Ocalan calls on the PKK to lay down arms in a letter read during celebrations of the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz, marking the beginning of the peace initiative dubbed the 'Solution Process.' July 20, 2015 A deadly bomb attack targeting Kurds near the Syrian border leads to the collapse of the peace initiative and resumption of conflict. Oct. 22, 2024 Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party that's allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggests parole for Ocalan, if his group renounces violence and disbands, hinting at the start of a renewed peace initiative. Oct. 23, 2024 PKK attack on a defense company near Ankara kills five people and wounds more than 20 others. Turkey retaliates with airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria. Feb. 27, 2025 Ocalan issues message from prison calling on PKK to disarm and disband. March 1, 2025 PKK declares ceasefire and expresses readiness to convene a party congress to dissolve itself. May 12, 2025 PKK announces decision to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Key dates in the PKK's decades-long armed struggle against Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has formally declared its dissolution on Monday, marking a historic milestone that could bring an end to one of the world's longest-running conflicts. For decades, the insurgency has extended beyond Turkey's borders into northern Iraq and northern Syria, claiming tens of thousands of lives. The decision raises hopes for peace and a significant shift in the region's stability. Here are some key dates in the history of the organization that is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and several Western nations: Nov. 27, 1978 The PKK — an acronym for its Kurdish name, Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan — is officially founded in the village of Fis, in Turkey's mainly-Kurdish province of Diyarbakir by Abdullah Ocalan and a group of political science students from Ankara University. The Marxist organization was initially established to create an independent Kurdish state, but its objectives evolved over time to include autonomy and greater rights for Kurds, who make up an estimated 20% of the population. 1980 A military coup in Turkey forces much of the PKK to flee to neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon, where the fighters train in the Bekaa Valley. Ocalan leaves a year earlier, in 1979. Aug. 15, 1984 The PKK carries out its first armed attack against Turkish security posts, marking the start of its armed insurgency. 1998 Turkey issues an ultimatum to Syria, warning Damascus to expel Ocalan or face military action. The pressure forces Ocalan to leave his long-time base. Ocalan would spend the next four months traveling between several European countries, including Russia, Italy and Greece. Feb. 15, 1999 Ocalan is captured in Nairobi, Kenya by Turkish special forces — reportedly with assistance from the CIA. He is flown to Turkey and jailed on Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, off Istanbul. June 29, 1999 Ocalan is convicted of treason and sentenced to death. His sentence is later commuted to life imprisonment, after Turkish abolishes the death penalty in 2002. August 1999 Ocalan calls on his groups to declare a unilateral ceasefire and withdraw from Turkish territory. The PKK announces a ceasefire that remains largely in effect until 2004. 2009-2011 PKK representatives hold secret talks with Turkish intelligence officers in Oslo, Norway, which ultimately break down. March 21, 2013 Ocalan calls on the PKK to lay down arms in a letter read during celebrations of the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz, marking the beginning of the peace initiative dubbed the 'Solution Process.' July 20, 2015 A deadly bomb attack targeting Kurds near the Syrian border leads to the collapse of the peace initiative and resumption of conflict. Oct. 22, 2024 Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party that's allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggests parole for Ocalan, if his group renounces violence and disbands, hinting at the start of a renewed peace initiative. Oct. 23, 2024 PKK attack on a defense company near Ankara kills five people and wounds more than 20 others. Turkey retaliates with airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria. Feb. 27, 2025 Ocalan issues message from prison calling on PKK to disarm and disband. March 1, 2025 PKK declares ceasefire and expresses readiness to convene a party congress to dissolve itself. May 12, 2025 PKK announces decision to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Key dates in the PKK's decades-long armed struggle against Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has formally declared its dissolution on Monday, marking a historic milestone that could bring an end to one of the world's longest-running conflicts. For decades, the insurgency has extended beyond Turkey's borders into northern Iraq and northern Syria, claiming tens of thousands of lives. The decision raises hopes for peace and a significant shift in the region's stability. Here are some key dates in the history of the organization that is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and several Western nations: Nov. 27, 1978 The PKK — an acronym for its Kurdish name, Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan — is officially founded in the village of Fis, in Turkey's mainly-Kurdish province of Diyarbakir by Abdullah Ocalan and a group of political science students from Ankara University. The Marxist organization was initially established to create an independent Kurdish state, but its objectives evolved over time to include autonomy and greater rights for Kurds, who make up an estimated 20% of the population. 1980 A military coup in Turkey forces much of the PKK to flee to neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon, where the fighters train in the Bekaa Valley. Ocalan leaves a year earlier, in 1979. Aug. 15, 1984 The PKK carries out its first armed attack against Turkish security posts, marking the start of its armed insurgency. 1998 Turkey issues an ultimatum to Syria, warning Damascus to expel Ocalan or face military action. The pressure forces Ocalan to leave his long-time base. Ocalan would spend the next four months traveling between several European countries, including Russia, Italy and Greece. Feb. 15, 1999 Ocalan is captured in Nairobi, Kenya by Turkish special forces — reportedly with assistance from the CIA. He is flown to Turkey and jailed on Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, off Istanbul. June 29, 1999 Ocalan is convicted of treason and sentenced to death. His sentence is later commuted to life imprisonment, after Turkish abolishes the death penalty in 2002. August 1999 Ocalan calls on his groups to declare a unilateral ceasefire and withdraw from Turkish territory. The PKK announces a ceasefire that remains largely in effect until 2004. 2009-2011 PKK representatives hold secret talks with Turkish intelligence officers in Oslo, Norway, which ultimately break down. March 21, 2013 Ocalan calls on the PKK to lay down arms in a letter read during celebrations of the Kurdish spring festival of Newroz, marking the beginning of the peace initiative dubbed the 'Solution Process.' July 20, 2015 A deadly bomb attack targeting Kurds near the Syrian border leads to the collapse of the peace initiative and resumption of conflict. Oct. 22, 2024 Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey's far-right nationalist party that's allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggests parole for Ocalan, if his group renounces violence and disbands, hinting at the start of a renewed peace initiative. Oct. 23, 2024 PKK attack on a defense company near Ankara kills five people and wounds more than 20 others. Turkey retaliates with airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria. Feb. 27, 2025 Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Ocalan issues message from prison calling on PKK to disarm and disband. March 1, 2025 PKK declares ceasefire and expresses readiness to convene a party congress to dissolve itself. May 12, 2025 PKK announces decision to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle.
