Why is it believed that the PKK terror group is responsible for the fires in Turkey?

Wildfires in Turkey are alleged to have been started by the PKK terror organization.

Meanwhile, the Turkish air force attacked about 40 targets of the PKK terror organization in northern Iraq. In contrast, Turkish citizens question if the simultaneous fires in various Turkish cities are arson assaults.

Between 28-30 July, more than 70 forest fires erupted throughout at least 17 Turkish cities, leaving many to speculate if they were sparked by acts of terrorism.

Forest fires are often caused by natural factors like weather conditions or campfires left behind by picnickers. According to the Agriculture and Forestry Minister, the major reason for the rising mistrust is the simultaneous occurrence of numerous fires without wind spreading them farther.

"This isn't something we're going to overlook. After all, these are fires that occurred practically simultaneously, from Manavgat to Marmaris and Bodrum despite originating in separate locations. "Speaking to the media on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remarked.

Firefighters participated in a nonstop attempt to put out 57 flames, while at least 1140 sites are still blazing. Locals are assisting with firefighting operations by transporting water to the fire locations in private vehicles.

Erdogan said that numerous planes, including those acquired from Russia and Ukraine, had been deployed to put out the fire. This is in addition to the 38 helicopters, 9 uncrewed aerial vehicles, 680 water trucks, and 4.000 firefighters who had previously been dispatched to put out the fires.

But, as the country held its breath, Turkey deployed additional planes to Northern Iraq on the night of July 30 for an entirely different mission. According to Turkey's Ministry of National Defense, they attacked almost 40 PKK targets and destroyed them instantly.

Meanwhile, Turkey is investigating the cause of forest fires in various cities. For the authorities, the PKK's role cannot be ruled out since the armed group, which has been designated a terror organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU has a history of setting forests on fire

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PKK's use of arson as a strategy

Although the PKK is the primary suspect, it has not yet claimed responsibility for the fires. Environmental devastation is one of the group's means of retribution, and its fans were quick to take delight in the blaze's destruction of trees and wildlife while commenting on it online.

Major flames erupted across Turkish towns on October 10, 2020, on the anniversary of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's deportation from Syria on October 9, 1998. They destroyed roughly 400 hectares of woods, vacant residential structures, and several dozen animals.

As reported by Nuce Civan, a pro-PKK website, a PKK offshoot organization called Children of Fire Initiative claimed responsibility for the fires.

The group referred to the October flames by saying, "We applaud the holy fire."

This assertion was not denied by the PKK, a terrorist organization battling the Turkish state since 1984, a few years after it was established. More than 40,000 people, including civilians, have been slain as a result of their struggle. HBI is another PKK-affiliated organization that has claimed responsibility for arson attacks in the past.

In the 1990s, the organization began using forest fires after launching its first strike in Turkey in 1984. ACCORDING TO A LEAKED INTELLIGENCE REPORT FROM TURKEY, the PKK also set fire to woodlands that attract Turkish visitors.

Forests, oil pipelines, and government facilities have been set ablaze by PKK militants.

2,000 hectares of land have been burned in five days due to PKK arson assaults for which the organization has taken credit.

According to the organization, in certain cases, the state of Turkey is responsible for starting fires after the settlement process between the state and the group ended in July 2015. This was denied by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which published statistics on the fires throughout this procedure.

As a diversionary strategy, it was used on other occasions to allow detained terrorists to escape.

To defend marijuana crops, we came to this area from the United States. Another team was scheduled to pick us up after ours. (…) A confrontation broke out. 'Come here and light this forest on fire to save us,' we told them. "We're stranded," he said. Children of Fire PKK terrorist, "I ran out of ammunition and surrendered."

In particular, since 2016, Turkey's intensive counterterrorism operations and urban warfare strikes have suffered.

When the PKK militants don't have any firearms, they resort to arson, according to Murat Karayilan, one of the PKK commanders whose heads the US has placed bounty notices in the past.

If two or three young people get together, they may decide to accomplish anything. Their weapons are lighters and matches, he added.

70 percent of PKK assaults against Turkey in 2019 originated in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish Interior Ministry. Ankara believes that eliminating PKK in the Gara region is crucial to halting cross-border attacks.

Turkish officials have been watching the region for the past five months, according to Akar.

According to Akar, Turkish soldiers urged terrorists to surrender before entering the cave where hostages were kept, but they reacted with fire instead.

The Gara region, a hilly region near the Syrian border, is the only way to reach Sinja, where the PKK maintains a stronghold and controls other regions.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a mission to penetrate northern Syria to fight against the Daesh terror group. As a result, the PKK has added a new base to its headquarters in the Qandil highlands in Iraq.

Op Claw Eagle-2, a Turkish military operation against PKK strongholds in northern Iraq's Gara area, near the Syrian border, was launched on February 10.

13 Turkish nationals taken hostage in a cave by the PKK were the primary focus of the operation, which has now been completed. PKK has been responsible for the killings of more than 40,000 civilians and security personnel in Turkey over the course of a nearly four-decade terror campaign.