Kurdish Militant Attacks Escalate While Turkish Politicians Bicker

Attacks by Kurdish separatists in Turkey are becoming bolder and more frequent, but the government and opposition political parties appear to be at a loss as to how to curb the violence. Tulin Daloglu writes that all the Turkish political factions are using the PKK as a political football, blaming each other for supporting the PKK’s ideology.
Police forensic officers inspect the scene of a bombing near police vehicles in Istanbul March 1, 2012. A remote control bomb injured 10 police officers on Thursday as their vehicle passed close to the Istanbul headquarters of Turkey's ruling AK Party, Turkish police said. Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin said the device was placed on a motorcycle and set off by remote control as a police vehicle drove past, near the AK Party building and the offices of a conservative business association. REUTERS/Osm
Police forensic officers inspect the scene of a bombing near police vehicles in Istanbul March 1, 2012. - REUTERS/Osman Orsal
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Tulin Daloglu

Attacks by Kurdish separatists in Turkey are becoming bolder and more frequent, but the government and opposition political parties appear to be at a loss as to how to curb the violence.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which launched its first attack against Turkey 28 years ago, kidnapped an elected member of the Turkish parliament for the first time on Aug. 12. Huseyin Aygun, a deputy from the chief opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), was released after 48 hours and a public outcry about the abduction.

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