Kurdish–Turkish conflict

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Timeline of Kurdish uprisings.
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Date6 March 1921 (6 March 1921) – present[6] (103 years, 1 month, 1 week and 2 days)
Location
Turkey (Turkish Kurdistan), Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan)
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

Grand National Assembly (1920–1923)

 Turkey (since 1923)

  • Loyalist Kurdish tribes (since 2015)[1][2][3]
Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (only against PKK-allied groups)[4][5]

1920–1938:

Republic of Ararat (1927–1930)

Kurdistan Workers' Party (since 1978)

Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (since 2004)

Kurdish Hezbollah (1983–2002)
Commanders and leaders

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Nureddin Pasha
Binbaşı

Kâzım İnanç
Mürsel Bakû
Naci Eldeniz

İsmet İnönü
Kâzım Orbay
Abdullah Alpdoğan [Wikidata]

Fevzi Çakmak
İbrahim Tali Öngören
İzzettin Çalışlar
Salih Omurtak

Osman Pamukoğlu
X
Yaşar Büyükanıt
Hilmi Özkök
Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu
İsmail Hakkı Karadayı
Doğan Güreş
Necip Torumtay
Necdet Üruğ
Nurettin Ersin
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ahmet Davutoğlu
Hulusi Akar

Alişan Bey Surrendered[7]
Nuri Dersimi
Alişer

Halid Beg Cibran Executed
Sheikh Said Executed

Ihsan Nuri
Ibrahim Heski
Ferzende
Halis Öztürk

Seyid Riza (POW) Executed
Kamer Aga (Yusufan)
Cebrail Aga (Demenan)
Kamer Aga (Haydaran)
Alişer
Zarîfe †

Ibrahim Parlak
Mazlum Doğan
Kani Yılmaz [Wikidata] †
Hüseyin Yıldırım
Haki Karer †
Halil Atac
Murat Karayılan
Bahoz Erdal
Cemîl Bayik
Mustafa Karasu
Duran Kalkan
Ali Haydar Kaytan
Strength

Kocgiri: 3,161–31,000 military

Said: 25,000–52,000 men

Ararat: 10,000–66,000 men

Dersim: 50,000 men[8]

Turkish Armed Forces: 639,551:[9]
Gendarmerie: 148,700[10]
Police: 225,000
Village Guards: 60,000[11]
Turkey Total: 948,550
(not all directly involved in the conflict)

Kocgiri: 3,000–6,000 rebels

Said: 15,000 rebels[12]

Ararat: 5,000–8,000 rebels[13]

Dersim: 6,000 rebels[14]

PKK: 4,000–32,800[15][16]
Casualties and losses

Kocgiri: Unknown

Said: Unknown

Ararat: Unknown

Dersim: 110 killed

Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present):
8,266 killed and 21,128 wounded [17][18][19][20]

Kocgiri: 500 rebels killed[21]

Said: Unknown

Ararat: Unknown

Dersim: 10,000–13,160 killed

Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978-present):
68,000+ killed and 22,700+ captured[22][23][24][25][26][20][27]

Said revolt: 15,000–20,000[28] to 40,000–250,000 civilians killed[29]
Ararat revolt: 4,500 civilians killed
Kurdish-Turkish conflict (1978–present): 6,741[20] to 18,000–20,000[30][31][32][33] civilians killed

Total: 120,000+ killed

current PKK–Turkey conflict
.

According to Ottoman military records, Kurdish rebellions have been occurring in Anatolia for over two centuries.[36] While large tribal Kurdish revolts had shaken the Ottoman Empire during the last decades of its existence, the modern phase of the conflict is believed to have begun in 1922,[37] with the emergence of Kurdish nationalism which occurred in parallel with the formation of the modern State of Turkey. In 1925, an uprising for an independent Kurdistan, led by Shaikh Said Piran, was quickly put down, and soon afterward, Said and 36 of his followers were executed. Other large-scale Kurdish revolts occurred in Ararat and Dersim in 1930 and 1937.[38][39] The British consul at Trebizond, the diplomatic post which was closest to Dersim, spoke of brutal and indiscriminate acts of violence and explicitly compared them to the 1915 Armenian genocide. "Thousands of Kurds," he wrote, "including women and children, were slain; others, mostly children, were thrown into the Euphrates; while thousands of others in less hostile areas, who had first been deprived of their cattle and other belongings, were deported to vilayets (provinces) in Central Anatolia. It is now stated that the Kurdish question no longer exists in Turkey."[40]

The Kurds accuse successive Turkish governments of

Kurdish languages in print and media. Atatürk believed that the unity and stability of a country both lay in the existence of a unitary political identity, relegating cultural and ethnic distinctions to the private sphere. However, many Kurds did not relinquish their identity and they also did not relinquish their language.[41] Large-scale armed conflict between the Turkish armed forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) occurred throughout the 1980s and 1990s, leaving over 35,000 dead.[42]

Background

Main article: Kurds in Turkey

The history of Kurdish rebellions against the

secular republic after the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924 became a source of widespread resentment.[43] The establishment of the Turkish nationalist state and Turkish citizenship brought an end to the centuries-old millet system, which had unified the Muslim ethnic groups of the Ottoman Empire under a unified Muslim identity. The diverse Muslim ethnic groups of the former Empire were considered Turkish by the newly formed secular Turkish state, which did not recognize an independent Kurdish or Islamic national identity. One of the consequences of these seismic changes was a series of uprisings in Turkey's Kurdish-populated eastern and southeastern regions.[44]

History

Bitlis uprising (1914)

Main article: Bitlis uprising (1914)

The Bitlis uprising was a Kurdish uprising in the Ottoman Empire in early 1914.

Mosul Vilayet, which was also supported by Russia.[45] Later Kurdish nationalist historiography portrayed the uprising as part of a Kurdish nationalist struggle, but its actual causes laid in opposition to conscription and taxation.[45] The uprising began in early March, with a skirmish between Kurdish fighters and Ottoman gendarmes, where the latter was forced to retreat.[45] The Kurds subsequently laid siege to the city of Bitlis, and captured the city on 2 April.[45] Ottoman forces were then dispatched from Muş and Van and suppressed the uprising.[45] After the defeat of the uprising on 4 April, one of the rebel leaders, Molla Selim, successfully sought asylum in Russia.[45]

Koçgiri rebellion (1920)

Main article:
Koçgiri Rebellion

The 1920

Zaza cleric Sheikh Said, but organized by another, newer, Kurdish nationalist organization, Azadî.[39]

Beytussebab rebellion (1924)

Main article: Beytussebab rebellion

Sheikh Said rebellion (1925)

Main article: Sheikh Said rebellion

The main rebellion which dominates the history of the Kurds in Turkey is that of the 1925 rebellion in Kurdistan region of Turkey which was led by

Diyarbakir) and Mardin provinces. The Sheikh Said rebellion was the first large scale rebellion of the Kurdish race movement in Turkey. The main organizer of this rebellion was the Kurdish Independent Society, Azadî
. Azadi's intention was to liberate Kurds from Turkish oppression and thus deliver freedom and further, develop their country. By March 1925 the revolt was pretty much over. Sheikh Said and all the other rebel leaders were hanged by June 29.

In Fall of 1927 Sheikh Abdurrahman (brother of Sheikh Said) began a series of attacks on Turkish garrisons in

Bayazid. The brother of Sheikh Said tried to exact revenge on the Turkish government by attacking several army bases in Kurdistan. Nothing permanent was accomplished. They were driven out after Turkish reinforcements arrived in the area.[48]

The rebellion failed, however, by 1929, Ihsan Nuri’s movement was in control of a large expanse of Kurdish territory and the revolt was put down by the year 1930.

Ararat rebellion (1927–1930)

Main article: Ararat rebellion

The

İhsan Nuri Pasha
. However it was not recognized by other states, and lacked foreign support.

By the end of summer 1930, the Turkish Air Force was bombing Kurdish positions around Mount Ararat from all directions. According to General Ihsan Nuri Pasha, the military superiority of Turkish Air Force demoralized Kurds and led to their capitulation.[49] On July 13, the rebellion in Zilan was suppressed. Squadrons of 10–15 aircraft were used in crushing the revolt.[50] On July 16, two Turkish planes were downed and their pilots were killed by the Kurds.[51] Aerial bombardment continued for several days and forced Kurds to withdraw to the height of 5,000 meters. By July 21, bombardment had destroyed many Kurdish forts. During these operations, Turkish military mobilized 66,000 soldiers and 100 aircraft.[52] The campaign against the Kurds was over by September 17, 1930.[53] The Ararat rebellion was defeated in 1931,[citation needed] and Turkey resumed control over the territory.[54]

Government measures after 1937

After suppression of the last rebellion in 1937, Southeast Anatolia was put under

Kosovar Albanians and Assyrians to settle in the Kurdish area to change the ethnic composition of the region.[55] The measures taken by the Turkish Army in the immediate aftermath of the revolt became more repressive than previous uprisings. At times, villages and/or buildings were set on fire in order to repress the Kurdish population. In order to prevent the events from having a negative impact on Turkey's International image and reputation, foreigners were not allowed to visit the entire area east of Euphrates until 1965 and the area remained under permanent military siege till 1950. The Kurdish language was banned and the words "Kurds" and "Kurdistan" were removed from dictionaries and history books and Kurds were only referred to as "Mountain Turks".[56]

The Turks, who had only recently been fighting for their own freedom, crushed the Kurds, who sought theirs. It is strange how a defensive nationalism develops into an aggressive one, and a fight for freedom becomes one for dominion over others

— Jawaharlal Nehru on the response to the Kurdish revolts in the early Turkish Republic.[57][58]

Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present)

Main article:
Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present)

Kurdish ethnic revival appeared in the 1970s when Turkey was racked with left-right clashes and the Marxist PKK was formed demanding a Kurdish state.

Maroon Berets in Kenya.[60]
A cooling down occurred, and a ceasefire was brokered in 2014 – but then due to the Siege of Kobane the conflict has restarted.

During the 1980s Turkey began a program of forced assimilation of its Kurdish population.[61] This culminated in 1984 when the PKK began a rebellion against Turkish rule attacking Turkish military. Since the PKK's militant operations began in 1984, 37,000 people have been killed. The PKK has been continuing its guerrilla warfare in the mountains.[62][63] As a result, the fighting is limited to approximately 3000 fighters.[64]

Serhildan (1990–present)

Main article: Serhildan

The word

Eastern Anatolian provinces such as Bingöl, Bitlis, Hakkâri, Muş and Van, as well cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir and Mersin
.

Kurdish political movement

Main article:
Kurdish Independence Movement in Turkey

See also

References

  1. ^ "Turkey's Kurdish tribes call PKK to leave country". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Kurdish people unite against terror: Tribe of 65,000 pledge to stand up against PKK". Daily Sabah. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Erdogan's new Kurdish allies – Kurdish Institute". www.kurdishinstitute.be. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  4. ^ Wali, Zhelwan Z. "Kurd vs Kurd: Fears of full-scale war rise in northern Iraq". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  5. ^ Kucher, Sarbaz. "Bad Blood Between Brothers The KDP, PUK, PKK Conflict" – via www.academia.edu. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Türk İstiklal Harbi, Edition VI, İstiklal Harbinde Ayaklanmalar, T. C. Genelkurmay Harp Tarihi Başkanlığı Resmî Yayınları, 1974, page 281
  8. ISBN 978-1-85043-416-0
    , p. 209.
  9. ^ "NEWS FROM TURKISH ARMED FORCES". Turkish Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 2015-11-05.
  10. ^ "Turkey's Paramilitary Forces" (PDF). Orbat. 25 July 2006. p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009.
  11. ^ "Turkey's 'village guards' tired of conflict". My Sinchew. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  12. ^ Olson, 1989, page 107
  13. ^ Robin Leonard Bidwell, Kenneth Bourne, Donald Cameron Watt, Great Britain. Foreign Office: British documents on foreign affairs—reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print: From the First to the Second World War. Series B, Turkey, Iran, and the Middle East, 1918–1939, Volume 32, University Publications of America, 1997, page 82.
  14. ISBN 975-6340-00-2
    , p. 16. (in Turkish)
  15. ^ Pike, John (21 May 2004). "Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  16. ^ "The PKK in Numbers". Sabah News Agency. 28 December 2015.
  17. ^ 14 taken (May 1993),[2] 8 taken (Oct. 2007),[citation needed] 23 taken (2011–12),[3] 8 released (Feb. 2015),[4] 20 taken/released (June–Sep. 2015),[5] 20 held (Dec. 2015),[6] 2 taken (Jan. 2016),[7] total of 95 reported taken
  18. ^ 20 as of Dec. 2015,[8] 2 taken Jan. 2016,[9] total of 22 reported currently held
  19. ^ "How many martyrs did Turkey lost?". Internethaber. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  20. ^ a b c Şafak, Yeni. "Nearly 7,000 civilians killed by PKK in 31 years". Yeni Şafak. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  21. ^ Hüseyin Rahmi Apak, Türk İstiklâl Harbi – İç ayaklanmalar: 1919–1921, 1964, C.VI, Genelkurmay Basımevi, pages 163–165
  22. ^ "İşte Yıllara Göre Etkisiz Hale Getirilen PKK'lı - Foto Galeri - Memurlar.Net".
  23. ^ 22,374 killed (1984–2015),[10] Archived 11 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine 9,500 killed (2015–2016), [11] 600 killed (2017),[12], 203,000 arrested (1984–2012),[13], 62,145 captured from 2003 to 2011, total of 31,874 reported killed and 203,000 arrested
  24. ^ "Erdoğan'dan 'milli seferberlik' ilanı". Bbc.com. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  25. ^ "İçişleri Bakanı Soylu: Son 9 ayda bin 68 terörist etkisiz hale getirildi – Haberler – Son Dakika Haberleri – AKŞAM". Aksam.com.tr. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  26. ^ "Nedim Şener, PKK'nın kanlı bilançosu". Hürriyet. September 4, 2020.
  27. ^ "Turkey counts cost of conflict as Kurdish militant battle rages on". Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  28. ^ The Militant Kurds: A Dual Strategy for Freedom, Vera Eccarius-Kelly, page 86, 2010
  29. ^ "(page 104)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  30. ^ "Federal Judge Rules Part Of Patriot Act Unconstitutional". Associated Press. 22 January 2004. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  31. ISBN 978-0812207835
    .
  32. ISBN 0521684269
    .
  33. ^ Turkey, US, and the PKK Archived 2016-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, 21 December 2007
  34. ISBN 9789004108615, p. 13.
  35. ^ Martin van Bruinessen, "Zaza, Alevi and Dersimi as Deliberately Embraced Ethnic Identities" in '"Aslını İnkar Eden Haramzadedir!" The Debate on the Ethnic Identity of The Kurdish Alevis', p. 14.
  36. ^ Birand, Mehmet Ali (2008-01-03). "How many Kurdish uprisings till today?". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2008-07-30.[permanent dead link] Translated from Turkish by Nuran İnanç.
  37. ^ "16. Turkey/Kurds (1922–present)". uca.edu. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  38. ^ (Olson 2000)
  39. ^ a b (Olson 1989)
  40. ^ Martin van Bruinessen (January 1994). "Genocide in Kurdistan? The Suppression of the Dersim Rebellion in Turkey (1937–38) and the Chemical War Against the Iraqi Kurds (1988)". George J. Andreopoulos (Ed.), Conceptual and Historical Dimensions of Genocide, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994, Pp. 141–70.
  41. ^ "Kurds". A Country Study: Turkey. U.S. Library of Congress. January 1995.
  42. ^ "Turks Charge Kurd With Inciting Hatred". Washington Post. Associated Press. 2007-02-23. pp. A12. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  43. ^ Hassan, Mona. Longing fir the Lost Caliphate: A Transregional History. Princeton University Press. p. 169.
  44. ISBN 9781443839549
    .
  45. ^
    ISBN 9783863095512
    .
  46. ^ (van Bruinessen 1978, p. 446) (footnote 35) and (Olson 1989, pp. 26–33)
  47. ^ (van Bruinessen 1978, pp. 374–75)
  48. ^ (Olson 2000, p. 79)
  49. ^ (Olson 2000, p. 82)
  50. ^ (Olson 2000, p. 84)
  51. ^ (Olson 2000, p. 85)
  52. ^ (Olson 2000, p. 86)
  53. ^ (Olson 2000, p. 88)
  54. ^ Abdulla, Mufid (2007-10-26). "The Kurdish issue in Turkey need political solution". Kurdish Media. Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  55. S2CID 146638619. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2008-10-03. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  56. ISBN 1-85649-194-3
    , p.58
  57. ISBN 0-472-08538-7
    , p.193
  58. ^ Nehru, Jawaharlal (1942). Glimpses of world history. John Day. p. 708.
  59. ^ Pike, John (2004-05-21). "Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  60. ^ van Bruinessen, Martin. The Kurdish movement: issues, organization, mobilization Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Newsletter of the Friends of the International Institute for Social History, No.8, 2004, pp.6–8
  61. ^ Hassanpour, Amir (1992). "Kurdish Language Policy in Turkey". Nationalism and Language in Kurdistan 1918–1985. Edwin Mellon Press. pp. 132–136, 150–152. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  62. ^ "Kurdish rebels kill Turkey troops". BBC News. 2007-04-08. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
  63. ^ Kalin, Ibrahim (2008-06-05). "AK Party and the Kurdish issue: a new beginning?". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2008-08-23. [dead link]
  64. ^ "Turkish forces on high alert against PKK attacks". Xinhua. China Daily. 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2008-08-23.

Sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kurdish–Turkish_conflict&oldid=1216657678"