Ankara, September 22: A senior Turkish military commander has called on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants to lay down their arms and assist efforts to broaden rights of the Kurdish minority.
“We cannot reach a solution with guns and blood. The only solution is that the terrorist organization lays down its weapons,” General Basbug said.
The top Turkish military figure meanwhile warned that the military will continue fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, including Turkey, Iran, the US and European Union member states.
More than 40,000 people have lost their lives since PKK launched its armed campaign against Ankara in 1984 as part of a quest to establish a socialist Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey.
The Turkish fighter jets frequently shell PKK strongholds in the jagged mountains of northern Iraq — a haven of tranquility for the insurgents who launch attacks against Turkish soil.
—–Agencies