The Offensive Tactics of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey in 2004–2011

Abstract

A major representative of Kurdish nationalism in Turkey, the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) renewed its violent activities while ending a ceasefire
that lasted for almost five years in 2004. The nature of its armed struggle is
in many aspects different from that of the period of 1984–1999. The issue of
the Kurdish question in Turkey has been once again becoming increasingly
dynamic in the last years, and the violent manifestations connected with
this issue have been increasing as well. The presented case study deals with
the offensive tactics of the PKK during its armed struggle in Turkey in the
period from 2004 to 2011. The activities of the PKK are framed in the
concept of insurgency. The analysis is focused on a description and
interpretation of the nature of the PKK’s offensive operations. On the basis
of the analysis of the operational level of the PKK’s activities, the pursued
insurgent tactics are identified. The PKK pursues and combines four kinds
of typical insurgency tactics – provocation, intimidation, protraction, and
exhaustion, with the first two being the most important. In the background
of the PKK’s campaign, we can observe that the PKK plans and times its
operations very carefully. At the same time the PKK focuses on getting and
maintaining popular support for itself.