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UNCLAS ANKARA 004587 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER IZ TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: POSSIBLE ESCALATION OF PKK VIOLENCE IN 
ADVANCE OF AUGUST 15 ANNIVERSARY 
 
REF: ANKARA 4408 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request.  Please see para. 4. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On August 15, 1984, PKK militants killed two police 
officers in Eruh and Semdinli, launching the armed phase of 
the PKK's campaign for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.  The 
anniversary of the PKK's first attack against Turkish 
government installations has historically provided an excuse 
for an escalation of violence.  Increased PKK activity linked 
to the anniversary compelled Turkish police to increase 
security measures in August 2005 and we expect this year to 
be no exception.  Similar increases in PKK violence have been 
observed around November 27, the anniversary of the PKK's 
founding in 1978 by Abdullah Ocalan, who has been in a 
Turkish prison since 1999. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Since mid-July, PKK-related violence has continued 
unabated.  During this period, in addition to the deaths of 
twenty-seven members of the Turkish security forces, the 
killings of two civilians (including a child), five bomb 
blasts, and the seizure of weapons caches (including 16.5 kg 
of plastic explosives), the PKK appears to have become more 
confrontational.  It claimed responsibility for an August 7 
raid in which two masked gunmen killed a Turkish army NCO and 
seriously injured his eight-year-old son at their home in 
southeastern Sirnak province.  One journalist who closely 
follows the issue has suggested that the home invasion may 
indicate a change in PKK tactics from the use of landmines, 
remotely-detonated IEDs, and hit-and-run attacks to more 
daring and direct confrontation.  It is also possible that an 
August 6 attack on a Jandarma patrol in Gumushane portends 
the extension of PKK violence to the previously quiet 
northeastern region of Turkey. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Action Request. Recognizing the significance of the 
August 15 anniversary to the PKK, we recommend that the 
Department issue a statement condemning PKK terrorist 
violence and calling for an end to its armed activities 
against Turkey.  The following is a suggested draft statement: 
 
Begin Text:  The United States government wishes to mark the 
August 15 anniversary of the beginning of terrorism by the 
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) against our ally, the Republic 
of Turkey, by calling upon the PKK to cease its violent 
terrorist actions and lay down its arms.  PKK violence has 
led to the deaths of over 30,000 Turkish security forces and 
civilians over the past 22 years.  After a lull in violence 
for several years following the capture of the terrorist 
Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, PKK terrorism resumed in 2004-06 and 
has claimed over 500 civilian and security services victims 
so far this year.  This violence has undermined Turkey,s 
prospects and significantly set back the aspirations of 
Turkey,s ethnic Kurdish population that the PKK purports to 
represent. End Text. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON