PKK Suicide Attacks in Turkey

This paper will look at the suicide attacks of an illegal armed group in Turkey, the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. The group has been waging a violent separatist campaign against Turkey since 1984. At present, a fragile peace process is underway between the Turkish government and the PKK. In recent years, suicide attacks have become one of the most effective ways of terrorism. Although most of these attacks have been carried out by Islamist extremists, suicide terrorism is not limited to Islamic fundamentalism. Several non-religious terrorist groups, have used suicide attacks for their political ends. The PKK began to use suicide terrorism in mid-1996. Most of the PKK suicide attacks have been carried out by women. The group’s suicide campaign, which left up to seventeen security personnel and seven civilians dead, has been one of the least effective suicide campaigns in the world. After providing a brief background on both suicide terrorism and the PKK, the paper will discuss the PKK’s suicide attacks. In addition to academic works, the paper will be based on sources from the media.