October 26, 2011

Opportunity emerges -- from Van

Yavuz Baydar

There is such a huge difference between causes of death. Just a week or so ago the country was traumatized by an abominable attack that killed 24 soldiers. Two days ago, retaliatory action resulted in -- according to military sources -- the deaths of 270 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) insurgents. There were Kurds, as I wrote in my previous article, among the soldiers and many of the militants were Kurds from Turkey.

The earthquake that hit the predominantly Kurdish province of Van on Sunday has killed over 300 people. The worst hit area, the district of Erciş, is almost purely Kurdish, with political sympathies equally divided between Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).