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PKK warns of retaliations in Turkey

Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has threatened to retaliate against Ankara following the violence during the New Year celebration of Newroz in southeastern Turkey.

"The Turkish state must listen to the message of freedom from the Kurdish people and immediately halt its violence against civilians," the number two of the PKK group, Bozan Tekine, said in an interview on Thursday.

"There will be uncontrolled reaction. The Turkish state and the ruling party will bear the responsibility of these new developments," he said.

Tekine said that unless Ankara ended its actions of "abuse against civilians, the PKK will retaliate."

The interview was conducted in the Qandil mountains, an area of tall, rugged peaks which serves as a PKK hideout in Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region along the border with Turkey and Iran.

Two people were killed and dozens injured over the past week in southeast Turkey during the celebration of the Kurdish new year, which fell on March 21.

Dozens of people have been detained in Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated southeast where celebrations of Newroz Day turned into protests of support for the PKK.

Newroz is a traditional platform for Turkey's Kurds to demonstrate support for the rebels and demand broader rights.

"The Kurdish people continue to fight for freedom. They have once again demonstrated their support for the PKK and its leader Abdullah Ocalan [PKK founder who is imprisoned in Turkey]," said Tekine, whose organization is regarded as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU.

"The new violence against civilians demonstrates that the Turkish state continues its policy of force and denial of our rights," he said.

The recent incursions by the Turkish army in northern Iraq, "despite the support of the United States, has resulted in its failure," the rebel leader said.

The Turkish army "got a severe lesson" during the incursion in the last week of last month in the Zap region of Iraq.

The PKK claims it killed 127 Turkish soldiers and lost nine of its fighters.

Ankara says that it dealt a severe blow to the rebel movement during the incursion that killed 240 rebels.
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