PKK Commander Warns Of Economic War

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.etext.org>
Subject: PKK Commander Warns Of Economic Warfare

Kurd Rebels Warn Of Economic Warfare 
 
     TUNCELI, Turkey, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Kurdish guerrillas have
threatened to attack economic targets and kill public employees
in their campaign for self-rule in southeastern Turkey. 
     Leading Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) commander Semdin Sakik
told the Kurdish Med-TV in a taped interview shown on Tuesday
night that the rebels would bomb the energy, textile and
transport sectors. 
     "We will attack energy transmission lines all over Turkey,
bridges, factories, airports, oil and gas installations and
textile factories in (the southern area of) Cukurova," he said. 
     Tourist targets would also be included in the attacks. 
     "We will attack tourist sites especially in the
Mediterranean region in order to put an end to tourism in Turkey.
Our target is not the tourists, but to destroy tourism and the
flow of money into Turkey," Sakik said.
     "We will attack every sector that provides money for the
treasury," said Sakik, known as "Fingerless Zeki" after blowing a
thumb off while firing a rocket in northern Iraq. 
     The guerrillas have only partially carried out previous
threats of economic warfare on Turkey.
     Turkey's conservative-led government has said it will give
economic incentives for investment in the mainly-Kurdish
southeast, the country's poorest region. 
     Sakik said the guerrillas would target leading bureaucrats
and civil servants as well as the families of high-ranking
military officers.
     "Civilians might die because only guns can speak when the
bullets are being fired," said Sakik, a hardline senior PKK
military commander with a reputation for ferocity.
     Turkey has offered a hefty bounty for the capture -- dead or
alive -- of the notorious guerrilla commander who has eluded
frequent capture attempts by Turkish troops.
     A Med-TV spokesman declined to say where the interview,
which took place in a well-furnished room, was filmed.
     Turkey says PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is based in Damascus
or the Syrian-controlled Bekaa valley in Lebanon.
     More than 27,000 people have been killed in the 13-year-old
conflict. Around 15,000 Turkish troops have begun slowly pulling
out of northern Iraq this week after a month-long operation
against PKK bases there.
     Turkish forces killed 35 PKK guerrillas in three days of
clashes in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, officials of
the emergency rule governor's office said on Wednesday. No
military casualties were mentioned.
     Sakik said the rebels would show their true strength in
attacks on throughout Turkey.
     "If necessary,...we will attach bombs to ourselves and
launch suicide attacks," he said.
     Last year, the PKK used women pretending to be pregnant to
stage suicide attacks which killed several policemen.

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