The PKK is a dispicable terrorist group, and the only reaon they have not gained as much noteriety as other major groups is because of the fact that they have not decided to vent their anger on the western world, and in particlar a christian country. Their cause is absurd. There was never a kurdistan, however, they wish to create such a contry, comprising of part of Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Turkey should definitely cross the border into Iraq, and destroy these rebes once and for all. When hizbollah kidnapped a member of the Isreali amed forces, Isreal did not hesitate to immediately cross the border into Lebanon, and persue a month long war, where prohibited cluster bombs were used and many civilians were killed. My point is that Isreal persued a war, breif but dadly, over one individual. The PKK have killed over 50,000 turks in the last 20 years, we should have the right to defend our citizens, and not live in constant fear of attack.

Tarkan, London, England

If Turkey attacks Iraq then America has to defend Ira
Under international law the American occupation force is responsibe for the defense of Iraq.
Will America fulfill its legal obligation in this?
America cannot decide if they are for or against the Armenian Genocide committed by Turkey and America requiresTurkish assistance in the Iraq solution ! which some claim is another Genocide.
I wonder what is right and what is wrong, can some one please explain?

willhudso, reftord, notts

PKK kills innocent people. They have all the rights as being a human. But they want land from Turkey, Iraq and Iran. People lived for a long time in peace in the southeast of Turkey. They want to disturb the peace. PKK is a terrorist group. Noone has the right to kill anyone for no reason. The thing they want is not acceptable. Because the border of Turkey is as today since Misaki Milli (28 January 1920). Before that date there was the Ottoman Empire on that land, i mean Turks own southeast of Turkey for decades. Terrorism is bad for every nation. Noone can support terrorism. This is not humanity. We as Turks want peace in the whole world. BUT any Turk does NOT hesitate to give up from his life for the unity of Turkish Republic!

Bilal, Ä°stanbul, TURKEY

A few weeks ago a truck with 600 pounds of explosives was found in Ankara. Despite the PKK’s announcement that they had nothing to do with that, the Turkish government blamed these “terrorists.” For many decades the Turkish Military has been running a dirty war in southeastern Turkey against the Kurds, giving the excuse of the War on Terror. Turkey is the strongest military power in the Middle East. Why can’t it eradicate the PKK, or does the Turkish military not want this problem to be solved? Is it logical that Kurds are killing Kurds? Why are these attacks happening now? Why should I believe that this is not another military provocation like Semdinli? There members of the gendarmerie intelligence officers were apprehended in the 2005-bombing of a bookstore. The public caught the criminals with 2 Turkish military officials and a PKK informant being arrested. Later it was found that their car was registered to a local gendarmerie and included a list of more than 100 potential targets.

Ron, Stockholm,

PKK is not terrorists he defend for freedom him
The PKK is not terrorists, the army Turkish doing any thing he was killed Kurds and burn 3000 Kurdish village and cut Kurds heads before Zerkawi and killed civilians but he accuse PKK

Alan , syria,

To Simon Aledin ;

Do you realy believe that US went half-way around the world to fight with GLOBAL !! terrorism in IRAQ,Afghanistan?
Even though you have right to incursion in Afghanistan to pretend terrorism group a.k.a al-Qaeda which created and breeded by US and to bring democrasy ! ! ! and wipe away mass destructive weapon !!! in IRAQ , Turkey has no any rights to defend itself against to brutal and real terrorist group which is using AMERICAN WEAPONS and have been killing innocent Turk and Kurd people for 30 years , huh?
These contemptible terrorist coming up from north of IRAQ which is under protection of US forces to Turkey lands.
If you US people really believe in US act in Afghanistan and IRAQ is to deal with terrorism , you HAVE TO fight with PKK that identified as a terrorist organization by US too..

By the way , I wanna say someting to Ronnie from FRANCE , We dont want to be a member of EU.

Fatih, Ankara, Turkey

To Oktay from the UK and Sumaya from England,

The PKK is in no way comparable to more formidable entities such as Al-Qaeda or Hamas. Both have an uncompromising agenda which revolves around the destruction of the Israeli state, the establishment of the caliphate, or simply anti-Western sentiments.

The PKK on the other hand is an entity which seeks greater civil rights for the Kurds in Turkey and no longer seeks an independent Kurdish state. In other words, the Turkish-PKK dispute can be resolved through peaceful redress in ways the UK has resolved its own guerilla organisation problems.

Thus, America went half-way around the world, Mr Oktay, because its foe was a GLOBAL terror network with the might and sophistication to match that of states. Israel carries out numerous cross-border incursions in the face of an entity which seeks its destruction and no peaceful redress. So far as both entities are concerned, isolation and force is the only weapon.

Simon Aledin, London, UK

PKK is not fighting for the Kurds. If it was, then it wouldnt massacre hundreds of innocent Kurdish civilians including women and children over the last 20 years. How can you say that PKK fights for Kurds when it massacres people who refuse to join, or to give money, or to provide lodging to the terrorist group? PKK's only functionality is attempting to create chaos, hatred and unstability. Its support from the Kurdish population has been mainly due to people getting brainwashed, and forced not to get education (PKK murdered tens of teachers in the region) and also due to FEAR. PKK also makes money from illegal drug and gun traffic, and by indirect support from some Middle Eastern/Western countries.

C. K., Istanbul, Turkey

A few weeks ago a truck loaded with 600 pounds of explosives was found in Ankara. Despite PKK’s announcement that they had nothing to do with that, the Turkish government blamed these “terrorists.” For many decades the Turkish Military has been running a dirty war in southeastern Turkey against the Kurdish people, giving the excuse of the War on Terror. Turkey is the strongest military power in the Middle East. Why can’t it eradicate the PKK, or does the Turkish military not want this problem to be solved? Why should I believe that this is not another military provocation like Semdinli? There members of the gendarmerie intelligence officers were apprehended in the 2005 bombing of a bookstore. The public chased and caught the criminals with two Turkish military officials and a PKK informant being arrested. Later it was found that their car was registered to a local gendarmerie and included a list of more than 100 potential targets including the bookstore owner.

Roj, Stockholm, Sweden

Well, the crime list of the terror state of turkey is a very long one, so I skip that. Thanks to all the freedom loving people that understand the Kurdish views.

Let me ask the turkish fellows about how many times the PKK has claimed ceasefire? And also I like to ask them what the turksih answer was/is to that kind of gesture? For those who don’t know, turkey intensified the war and the number of are ceasefires more than 5 times.

Everyone had the right to defend them self, so even the Kurds, that’s why the majority accepts that PKK is defending the Kurdish people from state terror act played by turkey!

Zagros MC, Stockholm, Sweden

How can it be called terrorism? Surely ambushing a military convoy is an act of convential guerilla warfare. Western governments never engage in terrorism of course. For example firebombing German and Japanese civilian population centres during WWII was completely justified. In any case , Turkey's long history of discrimination, oppression, cruelty and torture to it's minority Kurdish population in the east is worth a look, don't you think?

Mark, Glasgow, UK

The Kurdish liberation movement in North Kurdistan, PKK is an integral part of the movement, is for the freedom of the Kurds in the region. It is for recognizing the rights of the Kurds in so called Turkey. Since the creation of the nation state, Turkey, the state has carried out brutal policies to deny the Kurds their God given rights, to live free, to speak Kurdish and practice their own culture. The state until recently, thanks to EU pressure, denied the existence of Kurds as a Nation. The state has destroyed thousands of Kurdish villages in the name of security, thousands of Kurds have been displaced and now after all this atrocities some expect the Kurds not to react and protect their lives. Kurds have rights for resistance against the occupiers and will continue the struggle to achieve FREEDOM.

Pushdaree, Ontario, Canada

Why is it that America is allowed too travel half way around the world to fight its terror attacks when Turkey is not allowed to defend its borders.

The PKK has active camps in Iraq and the Iraqi and US governments are doing nothing about it which is understandable as they can’t even stabilise Iraq as a whole.

Oktay , uk,

I'm surprised that nobody has drawn a parallel to the Middle East crisis. Why should Turkey not fight terror. After all, Israel is given the green light to make incursions into Palestine and to assume control over land. Israel is on a religious war footing - it believes that the land of Palestine is solely theirs; so they are occupying a land of a population that has been living there for 2000 years both Christians and Muslims. Israel's religious motives have triggered a religious war.

How can the World effectively sanction the PKK's terrorist murderous actions by condemning Turkey's fight on terror. Yet at the same time class the resistance from genuine occupied land as being Terrorist.

America and the World needs to stick to ONE view of terrorism and not differentiate just because its suits their foreign interests and allies.

Terrorism is terrorism no matter what your Geo-political or religious motives are. There's NO excuse for it; and this applies to ANY country or people.

Sumaya, England, UK

Great news, now the only stable part of Iraq were life is more normal will distroyed by Turkey. Look what Turkey has done in Cyprus, they are still there after 30 years an inforced occupation

mohsen, malaga, spain

we dont want membership...

metin, istanbul, TURKEY

Someone attacks you and your land surely you have a right to defend yourself? Why should it be any different for the Turks.

Farrukh, Woking, UK

John from Alabama,

You clearly have no clue. The Kurdish people are a distinct ethno-linguistic group, whose people have always lived in the area now split between Turkey, Iraq and Iran. In terms of religion, they are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim - as are most Turks. The 20-year PKK campaign is not based on religion - although it no doubt does include people with strong religious beliefs - but rather on the aim of carving out a nationalist Kurdish state. Yes, the Kurds do want more representation in the Turkish parliament, but to further the cause of their national group, not some religious sect.

Greg, Dubai,

It is sad that the US and Iraq are ignoring the security of Turkey because it inconveniences their rebuilding program to address the issue.Turkey has been a valuable ally to the US and their ability to have a secular government with an Islamic nation is something no other country has accomplished. I feel that the US should try to help Turkey as much as we can and hopefully Turkey could help us with our problems in the Middle East more.
The PKK have been violent for 20 years now, and it is reasonable for Turkey to refuse to give up land, the US and Britain wouldn't give up their land either. Their anger is warranted.
As far as more civil rights for the Kurds goes: Turkey takes no action in religion at all. So the Kurds get the exact same rights as every other religious group. It is my believe that the real aim of the PKK would be to get Kurdish representation in the government, which would annihilate Turkey's secularism. Opening the field for religious conflict between all the groups.

John, Alabama, US

I don't understand why EU membership comes into the equation at all. Clearly, there is no future membership for Turkey in an organization with two certain no votes, Greece and Greek Cyprus. The Turks are dreaming. They had better look for other allies, perhaps Russia or China as they can never count on support from the West.

Kathryn, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Turkey seems to think another incursion will be different to past ones. The bottom line is that the PKK is in no way comparable to more formidable terrorist organisations, such as Al-Qaeda, which operate on an agenda that is both uncompromisable and recognises only isolation and force.

In other words, in the PKK you have, depending on one's political views, either a national liberation organisation or a terrorist organisation. In any case, it is a dispute that will only be resolved through meeting PKK at the table and bringing them in from the cold. Given that it has declared its desire to negotiate and has declared ceasefires on umpteen occassions, but without recognition from the Turkish Armed forces, it is difficult to argue the dispute cannot be resolved through ways in which the British government has resolved its own domestic guerilla warfare problems, i.e, the IRA.

Importantly, the PKK no longer wants independence but greater civil rights for the Kurds.

Ralph Aldin, London, UK

What is the so called armenian genicide has to do with the European membership. So do you have to kick Italy out of the EU because of the crimes commited by Rome or France in Algeria (the list co go on forever). Every nation has the right to defend itself. They are not going into to Irak for a picnic!

Yilmaz Mumunov, London,

Ronnie you are full of it mate.

The PKK kill children and civilians. Just last week they sprayed a mini bus with bullets and killed a 7 year old kid!

Its not about the EU.. Its about TERRORISM.. or os that cool now that we are not in the recieving end of the PKK?

Lets not forgte that Turkey is a NATO member who stood guard of our eastern front.

If only stupidity was painful!

Brian Acot, Liverpool, Great Britain.

the headline "Turkey prepares for cross-border strike on Kurds" is incorrect because Turkish people have lived hundered years in a peacefull environment with Kurds and thats the case that " Turkey prepares for cross-border strike on PKK" PKK is a terrorist group and kills the innocent people in southern Turkey.

batuhan, ankara, turkey

PKK was founded by Abdullah Ocalan in 1974 to campaign for a separate homeland in Kurdish areas straddling Turkey’s borders with Iran, Iraq and Syria

abdullah ocalan is dangerous for world like Usame bin laden.

nazmi tabur, konya, turkey

Iraq appears to be full of troublemakers, and worst!.

The turks, whilst not angels themselves, should not have to put up with this.

Terrorism cannot be less of interest to the US and us, when it suits us!

Get the money men who fund these killers.

Peter Walker, London, UK

Hence the blackmail about the Armenian genocide. Definitely ready for full European membership!

Ronnie, PARIS, FRANCE