INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Turkey: Terrorist Tak Threatens New Wave of Violence

Published: Thu 21 Feb 2008 02:13 PM
VZCZCXRO3768
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHFL RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV
DE RUEHAK #0327 0521413
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 211413Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5303
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU
RUEUITH/TLO ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5//
RHMFISS/39ABG CP INCIRLIK AB TU
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/425ABG IZMIR TU//CC//
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
S E C R E T ANKARA 000327
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: TERRORIST TAK THREATENS NEW WAVE OF VIOLENCE
Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (C) SUMMARY. The terrorist organization TAK (Kurdistan Freedom Falcons), close affiliate of the PKK terrorist group, announced February 19 it will initiate an extensive new wave of violence against military and civilian targets inside and outside Turkey. END SUMMARY.
2. (S) TAK, a deadly terrorist organization controlled and directed by the PKK, describes itself as "the vengeance force." Since 2004, the group has carried out dozens of attacks on military, government, and tourist sites within Turkey, with a spike in activities in 2006. TAK attacks have targeted and killed civilians, including foreign tourists; in March 2007 the group conducted a hotel bombing in the resort town of Antalya. Most recently, a TAK front group, the Kurdistan Revenge Brigade, claimed responsibility for a van packed with explosives, discovered and safely dismantled in Ankara on September 11, 2007. The same group reportedly claimed responsibility several days after the May 2007 Ankara suicide bombing, which killed 7 and wounded nearly 100.
3. (SBU) In a February 19 statement, TAK announced a comprehensive wave of new violence against all enemies and collaborators inside and outside Turkey. The statement claimed necessary preparations were complete and action was imminent.
4. (C) COMMENT. TAK's declared intent to unleash a new wave of violence indicates the squeeze PKK is feeling: on one side, frustration at Turkish military operations in the southeast and into northern Iraq, and on the other, wariness about further infuriating Turkey's Kurdish public already outraged by the PKK's January Diyarbakir bombing. Given TAK's long record of terrorist violence, we expect it will attempt to carry through on this latest pledge. END COMMENT.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey
WILSON
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