Kurdistan Freedom Hawks

"Kurdistan Freedom Falcons" redirects here. For the armed Peshmerga units in Iran, see Kurdistan Freedom Party.
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks
Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan
Dates of operation29 July 2004 (2004-07-29)[1] – present
Split from PKK (TAK claim)
HeadquartersUnknown
Active regionsTurkey
IdeologyKurdish nationalism
Separatism
SizeA few dozen active members (2006)[2]
Opponents Turkey
Battles and warsKurdish–Turkish conflict
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The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, or TAK (Kurdish: Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan), is a Kurdish nationalist militant group in Turkey seeking an independent Kurdish state in Turkish Kurdistan (eastern and southeastern Turkey). The group also opposes the Turkish government's policies towards Kurds in Turkey. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US, UK and Australian governments.[3][4][5]

The group presents itself as a break-away faction of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in open dissent with the PKK's readiness to compromise with the Turkish state. The PKK distances itself from the TAK, stating that the Turkish government uses the TAK to portray the PKK as a terrorist organization in the international arena, that the PKK only targets the Turkish Armed Forces or their proxies, that it always takes responsibility for its attacks, and that there are no links between the PKK and TAK.[6][7] Analysts and experts disagree on whether or not the two groups are in reality linked.[8][9]

The group first appeared in August 2004, just weeks after the PKK called off the 1999 truce, assuming responsibility for two hotel bombings in Istanbul which claimed two victims.[10] Since then, TAK has followed a strategy of escalation, committing numerous violent bomb attacks throughout Turkey, with a focus on western and central Turkey, including some tourist areas in Istanbul, Ankara, and southern Mediterranean resorts.[11] TAK also claimed responsibility for the February 2016 Ankara bombing, which killed at least 28 people,[12][13] the March 2016 Ankara bombing in the same city that killed another 37 people, and the December 2016 Istanbul bombings which killed 47 people.[14][15]

  1. ^ "Terrorist Organization Profile:Kurdistan Freedom Hawks". Archived from the original on February 6, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  2. ^ James Brandon. "The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks Emerges as a Rival to the PKK". Terrorism Focus. 3 (40). The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  3. ^ "U.S. labels Kurdish group as terrorist". CNN. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  4. ^ Council Common Position 2008/586/CFSP updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2007/871/CFSP, Official Journal of the European Union L 188/71, 16.07.2008., eur-lex.europa.eu
  5. ^ "Proscribed terrorist groups". Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  6. ^ Türkçe, B. B. C. "PKK, TAK'ın saldırılarını neden durdurmuyor?". BBC Türkçe. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. ^ Geerdink, Fréderike. "PKK co-leader Cemil Bayik: 'What are we supposed to do? Surrender? Never.'". www.beaconreader.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  8. ^ "After Ankara bombing, questions over PKK-TAK ties resurface". Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  9. ^ Eccarius-Kelly 2011, pp. 36 f.
  10. ^ "Bomb in waist pack triggered Turkey blast". AFP. 17 July 2005.
  11. ^ Eccarius-Kelly 2011, p. 35.
  12. ^ Dolan, David (Feb 19, 2016). "Kurdish militant group TAK claims responsibility for Ankara bombing". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  13. ^ Letsch, Constanze (February 19, 2016). "Kurdish militant group Tak claims responsibility for Ankara car bomb". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  14. ^ Ankara blast: Kurdish group TAK claims bombing – BBC News Archived December 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Istanbul stadium attacks: Kurdish TAK group claim attacks – BBC News Archived December 12, 2016, at Archive-It