Kurdistan Freedom Hawks
Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan
Dates of operation29 July 2004 (2004-07-29)[1] – present
Split from PKK (TAK claim)
HeadquartersUnknown
Active regionsTurkey
IdeologyKurdish nationalism
Separatism
SizeA few dozen active members (2006)[2]
Opponents Turkey
Battles and warsKurdish–Turkish conflict

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks or TAK (Kurdish: Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan), is a Kurdish nationalist militant group in Turkey seeking an independent Kurdish state in Turkish Kurdistan (eastern and southeastern Turkey). The group also opposes the Turkish government's policies towards Kurds in Turkey.

The group presents itself as a break-away faction of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in open dissent with the PKK's readiness to compromise with the Turkish state. The PKK distances itself from the TAK, stating that the Turkish government uses the TAK to portray the PKK as a terrorist organization in the international arena, that the PKK only targets the Turkish Armed Forces or their proxies, that it always takes responsibility for its attacks, and that there are no links between the PKK and TAK.[3][4] Analysts and experts disagree on whether or not the two groups are in reality linked.[5][6]

The group first appeared in August 2004, just weeks after the PKK called off the 1999 truce, assuming responsibility for two hotel bombings in Istanbul which claimed two victims.[7] Since then, TAK has followed a strategy of escalation, committing numerous violent bomb attacks throughout Turkey, with a focus on western and central Turkey, including some tourist areas in Istanbul, Ankara, and southern Mediterranean resorts.[8] TAK also claimed responsibility for the February 2016 Ankara bombing, which killed at least 28 people,[9][10] the March 2016 Ankara bombing in the same city that killed another 37 people, and the December 2016 Istanbul bombings which killed 47 people.[11][12]

Historical context

After several decades of oppressive measures by the Turkish government towards the ethnic Kurdish population of Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was formed in 1978 in an aim to establish equal rights and self-determination for the Kurds in Turkey, who comprise between 18% and 25% of the population.[13] Since 1984, however, an armed conflict began between the PKK and the Turkish security forces resulting in the deaths of around 7,000 Turkish security personnel and over 30,000 Kurds.[14][15] Throughout the conflict, the European Court of Human Rights has condemned Turkey for thousands of human rights abuses.[16][17]

The judgments are related to executions of Kurdish civilians,[18] torturing,[19] forced displacements,[20] destroyed villages,[21] arbitrary arrests,[22] and murdered and disappeared Kurdish journalists.[23] As a result of a brief PKK cease-fire in 2004, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks were formed, a group that presents itself as a break-away faction of the PKK and is in open dissent with the PKK's readiness to compromise with the Turkish state. The TAK opposes, through militant action, the treatment of Kurds in Turkey and seeks retaliation for those Kurds who were killed at the hands of the Turkish government.[24]

Founding philosophy

The TAK seek an independent state of Kurdistan.[25] The group violently opposes the Turkish government's policies towards its ethnic Kurdish citizens.[26][27]

TAK first appeared in 2004. There is substantial debate on the origin, composition, and affiliations of the group. Some Turkish analysts claim that the group is either a small splinter of or an alias for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the most active Kurdish militant group.[28][29][30] Others suggest that the group may be totally independent of the PKK, or only loosely connected to it. PKK leaders deny having any control over the TAK. There are some indications that the TAK was founded by disgruntled or former members of the PKK.[28][31][30]

Structure

Little is known about the internal structure of the TAK. An employee of the later banned Kurdish German news agency MHA told Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2005 that representatives of the TAK would always remain anonymous and tight-lipped. The Freedom Hawks recruited a new generation of "frustrated young Kurds", raised in the Kurdish diaspora slums of Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, after their parents had to flee the Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey in the 1990s. Other Kurdish observers saw the Freedom Hawks as a socially disrooted youth, a new urban guerrilla born out of despair.[32]

Relationship with the PKK

According to the Jamestown Foundation, the TAK has been a rival to the PKK since 2006.[2] From then on, the group's operations have been repeatedly at odds with Murat Karayılan's and other PKK leaders' repeated calls for a ceasefire followed by negotiations.[33] However, Vera Eccarius-Kelly, a scholar of political science, has noted that there are no clear signs that indicate a struggle between the two groups. According to her, whilst TAK repeatedly damaged the PKK's efforts to negotiate cease-fires with "unapproved" bombings, in a way that has been compared to the Real IRA in the Northern Ireland conflict, the fact that there is no such struggle may have two explanations; the TAK may be operating outside the PKK's command structure, or it may be used by the PKK for "specific missions".[6] TAK's origins however remain controversial.

Some Turkish security analysts alleged that Bahoz Erdal may be the leader of TAK.[34] Other analysts believe that the group was initially formed by PKK leaders in 2003, when it engaged in illegal demonstrations, roadblocks and occasional Molotov cocktails. TAK has since claimed to have split from the PKK, accusing it of being "passive",[35] most recently in December 2015, when they criticized the PKK's "humanist character" as inept in the face of "the methods used by the existing Turkish state fascism."[36]

Some experts say that TAK is affiliated to the PKK; according to France24's correspondent in Turkey, "most" analysts share the view that whilst the TAK is affiliated to the PKK, it enjoys some operational autonomy.[37] The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, an academic research centre funded by the US Department of Homeland Security, describes the TAK as the "special urban terrorism wing" of the PKK.[38]

This view is shared by the White House, which called TAK the PKK's "urban terrorism wing" in October 2016.[39] According to The Guardian, "Turkish officials as well as some security analysts say TAK still acts as a militant front of the PKK".[40] Business Insider has reported that "experts who follow Kurdish militants say the groups retain ties".[41] Istanbul-based Turkish independent security analyst Metin Gürcan, writing for Al-Monitor, described TAK as "a semi-autonomous, armed outfit that carries out attacks under the PKK umbrella", saying that while the PKK ideologically and financially supports TAK, it allows it to decide on the nature and timing of its attacks.[42] Gürcan further wrote that the TAK was set up by the PKK but then split from it.[35]

Aliza Marcus, an expert on the PKK, also expressed her skepticism of the claims of separation by saying, "It would be the first time in the history of the PKK that they allow the existence of any other group representing the Kurds than themselves. In the 1990s, the PKK fought with rival Kurdish groups in Europe, it has killed dissidents within its own ranks. I see no reason why they would allow another group on the stage now."[43] Marcus believes that it is unlikely that the TAK gets direct orders from PKK but thinks that the PKK has control over TAK's actions.[44]

Newsweek and Al-Arabiya have written that the group is linked to the PKK while Deutsche Welle has described it as a breakaway from the PKK.[45][46][47] In 2012, Human Rights Watch mentioned the TAK in its January 2012 report, calling the TAK "a group linked to PKK".[48] According to Howard Eissenstat, a Turkey expert at St Lawrence University in New York, the TAK is damaging the PKK's short-term and long-term goals, and it's unlikely that the TAK is under PKK control.[44]

PKK's spokesman Serhat Varto denied a link between the PKK and the TAK in an interview by saying that the PKK targets only military entities and that it always takes responsibility for its attacks.[49] PKK leader Cemil Bayik also denied a link or any resemblance between the PKK and the TAK. He went on to claim that the Turkish government carries out attacks in the name of TAK to better characterise the PKK as a terrorist organization in the international arena.[4]

In 2015, a member of TAK denied links with the PKK, saying "The target perspectives, manner of action, and tactics pursued by the PKK and other Kurdish organisations in war have a quite 'humanist' character in the face of the methods used by the existing Turkish state fascism against the Kurdish people. In this regard, we are not dependent on the target perspectives, manner of action and tactics of these organisations. We as TAK will determine and realize our independent action strategy, tactics and manner in line with the mission we have undertaken.[50]

Designation as a terrorist organisation

The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US, UK and Australian governments,[51][52][53][54] as well as by the European Union.[55] The Turkish government regards the group as part of the PKK and does not list it separately.[56]

Attacks

TAK has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against police officers, soldiers, government and business institutions since 2004. Its earliest attacks were small, non-lethal bombings in public places which the group described as "warning actions." These warnings, however, had become deadly by the summer of 2005.

References

  1. ^ "Terrorist Organization Profile:Kurdistan Freedom Hawks". Archived from the original on February 6, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  2. ^ a b James Brandon. "The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks Emerges as a Rival to the PKK". Terrorism Focus. 3 (40). The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  3. ^ Türkçe, B. B. C. "PKK, TAK'ın saldırılarını neden durdurmuyor?". BBC Türkçe. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b Geerdink, Fréderike. "PKK co-leader Cemil Bayik: 'What are we supposed to do? Surrender? Never.'". www.beaconreader.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  5. ^ "After Ankara bombing, questions over PKK-TAK ties resurface". Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b Eccarius-Kelly 2011, pp. 36 f.
  7. ^ "Bomb in waist pack triggered Turkey blast". AFP. 17 July 2005.
  8. ^ Eccarius-Kelly 2011, p. 35.
  9. ^ Dolan, David (Feb 19, 2016). "Kurdish militant group TAK claims responsibility for Ankara bombing". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  10. ^ Letsch, Constanze (February 19, 2016). "Kurdish militant group Tak claims responsibility for Ankara car bomb". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  11. ^ Ankara blast: Kurdish group TAK claims bombing – BBC News Archived December 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ a b Istanbul stadium attacks: Kurdish TAK group claim attacks – BBC News Archived December 12, 2016, at Archive-It
  13. ^ Diener, Alexander C.; Hagen, Joshua (2010). Borderlines and borderlands : political oddities at the edge of the nation-state. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 114. ISBN 978-0742556355.
  14. ^ Kreyenbroek, Philip G.; Sperl, Stefan, eds. (2005). The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. Routledge. p. 58. ISBN 1134907664.
  15. ^ ""The World Factbook: Turkey"". Archived from the original on 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  16. ^ "EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS: Turkey Ranks First in Violations in between 1959–2011". Bianet – Bagimsiz Iletisim Agi. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Annual report" (PDF) (The European Court of Human Rights). 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2015. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ "The European Court of Human Rights: Case of Benzer and others v. Turkey" (PDF) (Mass execution of Kurdish villagers). 24 March 2014: 57. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2015. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ "The prohibition of torture" (PDF) (Torturing). 2003: 11, 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2015. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ^ Human Rights Watch. HRW. 2002. p. 7.
  21. ^ Abdulla, Jamal Jalal (2012-02-07). The Kurds: A Nation on the Way to Statehood. AuthorHouse. p. 36. ISBN 9781467879729. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  22. ^ "Police arrest and assistance of a lawyer" (PDF). 2015: 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2016-12-12. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. ^ "Justice Comes from European Court for a Kurdish Journalist". Kurdish Human Rights Project. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  24. ^ "Who are the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks?". Reuters. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Serial bomb blasts rock Turkey". IBNLive. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006.
  26. ^ Huggler, Justin (2006-08-30). "The Big Question: Who is behind the bombings in Turkey, and what do they want?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  27. ^ "Kurdistan Freedom Hawks". MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Archived from the original on August 25, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2006.
  28. ^ a b "Militant Kurds warn of wreaking havoc". Houston Chronicle. 2006-08-30. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02.
  29. ^ "Turkish blast injures woman". Telegraph. London. 2006-08-30. Retrieved 2020-02-20.[dead link]
  30. ^ a b c "Blast in Turkish port wounds one-officials". Reuters. 2006-08-30. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24.
  31. ^ a b c "Kurdish rebels say they planted Turkish resort bomb". Reuters AlertNet. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  32. ^ Alexander Schwabe (30 August 2006). "Kurdische Freiheitsfalken, Boten der Hölle" [Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, the messengers of hell]. Der Spiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  33. ^ Jonathan D. Hutzley (2007). Unmasking Terror: A Global Review of Terrorist Activities, Volume 3. Jamestown Foundation. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-9675009-6-6. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02.
  34. ^ Eccarius-Kelly 2011, p. 212.
  35. ^ a b Metin Gürcan (30 December 2015). "Are clashes spreading to western Turkey?". Al Monitor. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  36. ^ "TAK: We aren't dependent on PKK, our actions will spread". ANF. 31 December 2015. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  37. ^ "Kurdish militant group with ties to PKK claims Ankara bombing". France24. 2016-03-17. Archived from the original on 2016-03-17. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  38. ^ "Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)". National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  39. ^ Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on Terrorist Attacks in Turkey | whitehouse.gov Archived February 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ Letsch, Constanze (2016-03-14). "Ankara attack: one of bombers was PKK member, officials say". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  41. ^ "The Kurdish TAK group has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings in Ankara — and threatened further strikes". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  42. ^ Gürcan, Metin (2016-03-16). "How terror attacks drive politics in Ankara". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  43. ^ "TAK: What we know about militant PKK offshoot allegedly responsible for Ankara attacks". International Business Times. 2016-03-15. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  44. ^ a b "After Ankara bombing, questions over PKK-TAK ties resurface". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  45. ^ "Turkey's Kurdish TAK faction a breakaway from the PKK 17.03.2016". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  46. ^ "ANKARA BLAST: KURDISH MILITANT GROUP TAK CLAIMS BOMBING". Newsweek. 2016-03-17. Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  47. ^ "Dark times for Turkey: Ankara blast latest in series of deadly attacks". Al Arabiya. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  48. ^ World Report 2012: Turkey. Human Rights Watch. 2012-01-22. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  49. ^ "PKK, TAK'ın saldırılarını neden durdurmuyor?". BBC Türkçe. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  50. ^ "TAK: We aren't dependent on PKK, our actions will spread". Archived from the original on 2016-02-02.
  51. ^ "U.S. labels Kurdish group as terrorist". CNN. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  52. ^ Council Common Position 2008/586/CFSP updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2007/871/CFSP, Official Journal of the European Union L 188/71, 16.07.2008., eur-lex.europa.eu
  53. ^ "Proscribed terrorist groups". Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  54. ^ "Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)". www.aph.gov.au/. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  55. ^ Council of the European Union (13 January 2020). "Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/20 of 13 January 2020 updating the list of persons, groups and entities subject to Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism, and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2019/1341". Official Journal of the European Union. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  56. ^ "Türkiye'de halen faaliyetlerine devam eden başlıca terör örgütleri". Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  57. ^ "Turkey rocked by more blasts". The Globe and Mail. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006.
  58. ^ a b "Tourists were few. Now none will come". The Herald. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006.
  59. ^ "Turkey bombs: 'Police hunt two'". CNN. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006.
  60. ^ Fresco, Adam (2006-08-29). "Turkish police 'foil another attack in İzmir'". The Times. London. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  61. ^ a b "Timeline:Bomb blasts in Turkey". BBC. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
  62. ^ "Turkey Thwarts Bomb Attack in İzmir". Der Spiegel. 2006-09-29.
  63. ^ "Police search for two suspected bombers of Turkish resort". The Independent. London. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  64. ^ "Kurdish rebel group claims weekend blasts in Turkey". Turkish Press. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  65. ^ "1 Injured in Mersin Blast". Today's Zaman. 2006-08-30. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
  66. ^ "One injured in Turkey explosion". BBC. 2006-08-30. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
  67. ^ "Turkey Blames Kurdish Rebels For Istanbul Blasts That Killed 17". Wall Street Journal. 2008-07-28. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  68. ^ a b Cockburn, Patrick (2010-06-23). "Istanbul bomb marks end of Kurdish ceasefire". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  69. ^ "32 injured in apparent suicide bombing in Turkey". CNN. November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  70. ^ Ayla Albayrak (November 4, 2010). "PKK Splinter Group Admits Istanbul Bombing". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  71. ^ "32 injured in apparent suicide bombing in Turkey". CNN. September 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  72. ^ "TAK claims responsibility for the attack at Sabiha Gökçen Airport". ANF. 26 December 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  73. ^ "Ankara'daki bombalı saldırıda 1 kişi daha hayatını kaybetti". Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  74. ^ "Ankara'daki patlamada ölenlerin isim listesi". Haberturk. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  75. ^ "Ankarada patlamada ölenlerin isimleri belli oldu, 28 ocağa ateş düştü (ankara patlama)". Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  76. ^ "Şehitlerin kimlikleri belli oldu". ZAMAN. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016.
  77. ^ "Ankara bombing: Kurdish group claims responsibility". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
  78. ^ Botelho, Greg (2015-09-01). "Ankara bombing: Kurdish militants claim responsibility". CNN. Archived from the original on 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-20.
  79. ^ "22 Turkish Air Force pilots killed". Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  80. ^ "PKK's organization game". Anadolu Agency. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  81. ^ "Kurdish militants claim suicide bombing in Turkey's Bursa: website". Reuters. 1 May 2016. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  82. ^ "Kurdish militant group says it was behind Istanbul bombing". Reuters. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  83. ^ "Explosion outside police station in Istanbul". The Independent. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  84. ^ "PKK offshoot claims Kayseri bus bombing that killed 13 soldiers: Hurriyet". Reuters. 20 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  85. ^ "Kurdish Militants Claim Attack on Off-duty Turkish Soldiers". Voice of America. 20 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  86. ^ "TAK claims responsibility for the recent Istanbul and Kayseri bombings". Firat News Agency. 20 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  87. ^ "DHA – Demirren Haber Ajans- Son Dakika Haberleri ve Goncel Haberler". DHA News. Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  88. ^ "TAK gibt Identität von gefallener Kämpferin bekannt (In German". ANF News. Archived from the original on 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  89. ^ "Adana Valilik bombacısı kadın terörist ölü ele geçirildi (In Turkish)". Sözcü. Archived from the original on 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2019-08-16.

Bibliography

External links

Kurdish organisations
Categories