The Kurds are a significant minority in Turkey, 20% of the population, but Kemalism is threatening since the creation of the Turkish state, the Kurdish identity especially by total denial of its existence, the ban on the Kurdish language or permanent repression by the Turkish army.

In 1978, Abdullah Ocalan founded the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), union separatist Kurdish nationalism and Marxism-Leninism. Wanting to switch to armed action, its members suffer repression following the coup d'état of 12 September 1980.

History of the conflict

The PKK insurgency really began in August 1984 in the Region of Southeastern Anatolia. The state of emergency was extended to progressively to all of the region and some neighboring provinces.

During the 1990s, the Turkish government finally recognized Kurdish identity, promises an economic investment in the region and offer the Kurds the opportunity to organize politically legally, while conducting offensive operations against the PKK. The organization extends its activities in Europe and aimed directly at tourists (second resource of the country). Its bargaining demands are all rejected, the army leading a strategy against insurgency both in Turkish Kurdistan and in Iraqi Kurdistan.

On 15 February 1999, Abdullah Öcalan was captured in Nairobi. A year later, the PKK announced a ceasefire. However, the PKK announced to end its ceasefire on June 1, 2004. The Turkish Government considered that the members of the organization would be about from 3 000 to 4 000 rebels (in 2004), operating mainly in northern Iraq.

Since 2004, the Turkish Air Force is conducting bombings against PKK bases in Iraq in response to attacks on Turkish soil. It affirms have killed nearly 100 rebels in August 2011 during border raids. In 2012, the situation has still not stabilized.

On 21 March 2013, the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the signing of a historic cease-fire with Turkey.

Despite the announcement of the cease-fire, air strikes are carried out by F-16 and F-4 Phantom II Turkish 14 October 2014 in response to the bombing by the PKK of a Turkish military outpost, while that the armed group is involved in Syria (Syrian Kurdistan) on the side of YPG in defending Kobanî against the organization of the Islamic State in the context of the Syrian civil war.