Belgium deals potentially heavy blow to PKK

10/03/2010

Consecutive raids by the French, Italian and Belgium police against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party cut the terrorist organisation's finances and resulted in the arrest of senor members.

By Erol Izmirli for Southeast European Times in Istanbul -- 10/03/10

Kurdish supporters march in Brussels on Saturday (March 6th). [Getty Images]

Following smaller raids in France and Italy, Belgian police detained 30 people for suspected links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Thursday (March 4th), after conducting large-scale raids on 25 locations, including a studio of Kurdish broadcaster Roj TV. Among the detainees were Zubeyir Aydar and Remzi Kartal, two leading figures.

The PKK is officially recognised by Europe, Turkey and the United States as a terrorist group. Its headquarters are in Mount Qandil in northern Iraq, but it has a strong network in Europe where the organisation generates a large amount of revenue. Ankara and Washington have long urged a clampdown on the PKK in Europe, saying that members there finance the group through drug-trafficking, people smuggling and extortion.

Turkey welcomed the arrests. "We appreciate the Belgian authorities' determined and responsible attitude," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters at a press conference.

The raids came a day after the PKK instructed members in Europe to intensify extortion activities, Ankara's Anatolia news agency reported. The PKK is faced with "money problems" due to law enforcement battles against the group in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Europe, Anatolia reported.

Turkish media speculates that the country's National Intelligence Organisation provided information to Belgian authorities. "It is understood that the operations are still ongoing. I don't want to go into details. What matters is solidarity and ridding Turkey and Europe of terrorist organisations," Davutoglu said.

He noted "the changing attitude of Belgian authorities" towards Turkish efforts against the PKK and expressed appreciation for the US role in orchestrating the raids.

Turkey has requested the extradition of Remzi Kartal and Zübeyir Aydar from Belgium, the Hurriyet Daily News reported on Friday.

According to Vatan columnist Rusen Cakir, the raids will have a significant effect on the terror organisation. "Obviously, operations in Belgium have hit both a political and economic blow on the PKK."

Noting the raid had forced Roj TV off the air, Cakir said the group will now "have a hard time [broadcasting] propaganda, or at least for some time." The station, which broadcasts out of Denmark but has offices and studios in Belgium, reportedly resumed operations after 24 hours.

The raids drew strong criticism from Kurds in Europe and from Turkey's pro-Kurdish Democracy and Peace Party (BDP).

Thousands of Kurds and PKK supporters protested the raids in Belgium and other European countries, as well as in Turkey at the weekend. About 5,000 demonstrators gathered in Brussels on Saturday.

BDP chief Selahattin Demirtas met with Belgian Ambassador to Turkey Pol de Witte to express his concerns and discuss the process required to free those arrested.

"Everyone should question to what extent these raids could benefit Turkey at a moment when the country is enjoying a smoother climate for the solution of the Kurdish problem," Demirtas told reporters following the meeting.

Belgium and Turkey squared off in another terror-related case in the past, when a Belgian court declined to define the Turkish Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP-C, as a terrorist organisation, despite an EU decision to do so.