Kurdish Guerrillas
Say May Hit Turk Pipelines If Attacked
October 19, 2007
ANKARA (Reuters) -
Kurdish guerrillas could strike oil pipelines if Turkish troops attack them, a
pro-rebel news agency quoted one of their leaders on Friday as saying.
Turkey's parliament authorized Turkish troops on Wednesday to conduct
cross-border operations into Iraqi Kurdistan to crush rebels of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) hiding in the mountains there.
"We have no specific policy on pipelines but we are now waging a defensive
war... Since pipelines that cross Kurdistan provide the economic resources for
the Turkish army's aggression, it is possible the guerrillas target them," the
Firat news agency quoted PKK commander Murat Karayilan saying.
Firat, which is based in Europe, often carries statements from the PKK
leadership. The PKK has threatened to hit Turkish economic targets in the past,
but its threats have acquired a new urgency following the parliamentary vote.
Turkey's tough stance has helped propel global oil prices to new historic highs
this week. Pipelines from Iraq and from Azerbaijan cross eastern Turkey, which
hopes to become a major energy bridge between producer countries and Western
markets.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government is under heavy public pressure to
take tough action against the PKK in northern Iraq (Southern Kurdistan) after a
series of deadly attacks on Turkish soldiers and policemen in recent weeks which
have killed around 30 people.
Earlier on Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan demanded Baghdad close
down PKK camps in mainly Iraqi Kurdistan and hand over the rebel leaders.
Karayilan is among those on Ankara's most-wanted list.
The United States and the Baghdad government have urged Turkey, which has NATO's
second largest army, to refrain from military action, fearing it could
destabilize the wider region.
