Foreign Correspondence

[StephanieVanbryce]

TURKEY BATTLES WORST RIOTS SINCE 1970s


ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey's military has been ordered to quell the worst Kurdish unrest in nearly 30 years.

The Turkish Army has deployed main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers in the southwestern city of Diyarbakir. Diyarbakir contains a huge Kurdish population and has been deemed a launching pad for attacks by the Kurdish Workers Party.

"This violence damages the image of Diyarbakir, which had been steadily improving," Diyarbakir Gov. Efkan Ala said. "It will delay the flow of investment here that would curb unemployment."

Over the last three days, Kurdish separatists clashed with Turkish security forces in violence that spread throughout southeastern Turkey. At least four people have been killed and 250 others injured in riots sparked by the killing of 14 PKK members in battles with Turkish soldiers.


<http://menewsline.com/stories/2006/april/04_02_2.html>