Kurdish separatism in Turkey

By coincidence the word ?fair? in Turkish (?adil?) is a four-letter word like in English. Looking at the sorrowful scenes of people mourning dead soldiers, now almost daily, I recalled a few lines from this column nine years ago: 

Turkey can no longer carry the weight of the rising number of killings amid the spiral of violence taking its toll on all sides, Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chair Selahattin Demirta? has said, urging both the president and the government to listen to calls for an imminent silencing of arms.

Gas flow on the Shah Deniz pipeline carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan was halted by an explosion in Turkey on Aug. 24 evening, energy sector officials said, with one saying it was thought Kurdish militants had sabotaged the pipeline.

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an?s plans for keeping opposition parties out of government and driving Turkey to an early election appear to be working. Despite this appearance, the likelihood that he will get his way in a new election remains uncertain at the very least, and unlikely at best.

Some 127 zones in 15 provinces in eastern Turkey have so far been declared "temporary military secure zones," amid tightened security measures against outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacks.

While 15 of the zones have been reopened to civilian access after being closed, 111 areas continue to be out-of-bounds for civilians trying to enter.

A baby was miraculously saved from bullets amid clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the southeastern province of Hakkari after his family took him into their home's bathroom for protection, images have revealed.

The incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP) government dragged the country into terror and violence, the Republican People's Party (CHP) has said, vowing to resolve the Kurdish issue on the basis of "democracy and justice" by coming to power in the upcoming early election.

A senior outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK) figure has responded to calls from the co-chairs of the Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) to halt violence, ruling out any ?one-sided? move to silence arms.

Turkey is now a ?failed country? in many respects that is in total turmoil. Nevertheless, the failure of the Kurdish peace process and the return to arms is the most urgent problem. Most importantly, it costs lives, but freedoms also are suppressed on the pretext of the war on terror, while political crises are also deepening and the economy is sinking as a result.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has released one customs officials and a driver that it recently took hostage, while ten remain in captivity.

Eleven customs officials and a driver were reported missing after they did not return home from work on Aug. 22, despite taking a shuttle at 4.30 p.m. at the end of their shifts.