Saturday, November 12, 2011

Turkish Boat Hijacker Killed

On Saturday, November 12th, Turkish commandos stormed a ferry off the coast of Istanbul. The soldiers were able to approach the boat without alerting the hijacker, and boarded the ship. Wearing civilian clothing, they were able fool the attacker long enough so they could assassinate the robber, without any casualties. The explosives which he carried with him were successfully disarmed as well. After the threat was successfully eliminated, the hijacker was identified as Mensur Guzel. Guzel was the head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party youth wing.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK is slowly becoming a more prominent threat in the region of Turkey and countries also in it's area. An article on this blog went over another attack carried out by a Kurdish rebel, linked here. There has recently been an increase of attacks carried out by these rebels has caused unrest in Turkey. There have been attacks that have reportedly killed over twenty six Turkish soldiers, possibly more. In response to these terrorist acts carried out by these rebels, the Turkish army has launched attacks throughout several Middle Eastern countries, specifically Iraq. They have also increased their military competence, as shown though their reaction to today's attacks. While neither side seems to be ready to fold, hopefully a treaty will be able to come between Kurdish people and the countries they seek autonomy from.

-Nate

Sources:
Foreign Press
Washington Post
BBC News
CNN
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousNovember 15, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    Hi, Nate.

    I read your post on the recent Turkish ferry hijacking and really appreciated the thorough recap of what transpired on Friday as special forces teams worked to free hostages and reclaim the boat. I can’t imagine the tension on the boat in the moments before rescuers were able to shoot and kill the hijacker.

    Thanks for taking the time to give a little more context on the PKK. It was interesting to learn how the group is becoming a more prominent threat in the region. I also really appreciated the link to your older post describing another Kurdish rebel attack. As their attacks are becoming more frequent, it’s more important than ever to understand the PKK’s position. As you pointed out, Turkish authorities have already launched counterattacks on rebel hide-outs. It will be interesting to see how the PKK responds to additional pressure. Thanks so much for your post!

    I think you might enjoy this video on the same subject. I think you might enjoy this video on the same subject. Using coverage from Euronews, BBC, The Washington Post and CNN, it recounts the events that unfolded as commandos mounted their surprise attack and analyzes Turkey’s handling of the situation. It also addresses several salient questions such as what motivated the hijacking and the nature of the ongoing conflict between the PKK and the government. You have touched on some of these issues, but I think the video would add dimension to your post. I hope you will consider embedding it.

    http://www.newsy.com/9498/

    Thanks again for sharing thoughts.

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