Turkey considering forming special military unit to guard border, fight Kurdish rebels

Turkey to form professional army to fight rebels

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey is working on plans for a specially trained military unit to man troublesome outposts along the Turkish-Iraqi border and fight autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, the defense minister said Wednesday.

Turkey has long been considering a professional army to fight the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has been fighting since 1984 for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurds.

Turkey’s largely conscript army, made up of young recruits serving an obligatory 15 months, is seen as insufficiently trained to fight the battle-hardened guerrillas.

Many PKK guerrillas shelter in the mountains of neighboring Iraq, crossing the border for hit-and-run assaults. The group is considered a terrorist organization by both the European Union and United States.

The special army would consist of professional soldiers recruited to serve up to 10 years guarding the border with Iraq, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an opposition party leader Tuesday, according to Turkish media reports.

Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul confirmed the reports, saying his ministry was working on the legal aspects of the plan while the military was finalizing other details.

There was no information on the size of the planned military unit.

Turkey already has tens of thousands of troops deployed along the Iraqi border in addition to a large pro-government militia unit made up of local Kurds.

The government last year initiated more cultural and political rights to Kurds in a bid to reduce support for the rebels in the country’s impoverished southeast.

But the PKK recently escalated attacks against troops, killing more than 20 soldiers since June. The rebels accuse Turkey of not establishing dialogue with them or with imprisoned Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan and of refusing to declare an unconditional amnesty or allow Kurdish language education in schools.

As many as 40,000 people have died in the fighting since 1984.