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PKK Terrorism

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is an armed terrorist organization, listed as such by the United States and the European Union. Founded in 1974 and assuming paramilitary functions in 1984, the Marxist-Leninist and separatist PKK has used violence and terrorism in pursuit of Kurdish secession from the Republic of Turkey. PKK actions and terror tactics have led to tens of thousands of military and civilian deaths over the past decades and have prevented lasting stability in southeastern Turkey.

The U.S. and Europe have given cooperation and assistance to Turkey in its anti-PKK efforts. U.S. intelligence enabled the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999. In 2007, collaboration between Turkey, the U.S., and Iraq led to multiple airstrikes against the PKK in northern Iraq. In 2012, Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut sponsored a Senate Resolution condemning the PKK’s terrorist attacks, propaganda, and drug smuggling activities and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to helping Turkey put an end to PKK terrorism. The U.S. and the EU both continue to classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.

In an effort to get PKK militants to disarm and retreat, Turkish intelligence forces engaged in talks with Ocalan, from prison. By the end of March 2013, both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, which was a major step forward in a war spanning more than two decades. However, the ongoing peace process ended with the resumption of violence in 2015.

TCA has compiled the below resources to provide further information. These lists are for informational purposes and do not constitute TCA’s endorsement of or association with these sources.

Resources on Kurdish Groups

Given the great deal of confusion over the various Kurdish political and military groups in Turkey and the surrounding region, the Atlantic Council published an interactive chart mapping the various Kurdish entities in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. The goal of the chart is to help policymakers better understand organizations like the PKK and the numerous groups affiliated with it. The chart and accompanying analysis were co-authored by Aaron Stein, Senior Resident Fellow for Turkey at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and Alev Erhan, an intern placed at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East through TCA's internship program.

  • Interactive Map Charting Kurdish Groups

The following articles also give important information about Kurdish groups in the region.

  • Twilight of the Kurds
  • The Middle East’s Alphabet Soup of Kurds, Explained
  • The YPG-PKK Connection

Information about the PKK

  • Michael Doran - The Trump Doctrine: America, Israel, & the Middle East
  • Video: U.S. Secretary Ash Carter on PYD-YPG-PKK Connection during Senate Hearing
  • The PKK’s Urban Warfare Tactics
  • PKK Terrorism Blog
  • Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website on PKK/KONGRA-GEL
  • U.S. Department of State Website List of Foreign Terror Organizations
  • U.S. National Counterterrorism Center: Domestic Terrorism in Turkey
  • U.S. Senate Resolution Condemning the PKK and Expressing Solidarity with Turkey
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