Location Tunceli Province, Turkey | ||
Result Ongoing low level insurgency | ||
Maoist Insurgency in Turkey, also known as People's War in Turkey (Turkish: Halk savaşı), is a low level insurgency occurring in eastern Turkey between the Turkish government and Maoist rebels that appears to have begun in the 1980s. The insurgency declined in the late 1980s and 1990s and has been sidelined by the larger Kurdish separatist conflict. Low level armed attacks continue to be carried out by insurgent groups. The most significant of which are Liberation Army of the Workers and Peasants of Turkey (TİKKO) - armed wing of Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist and People's Liberation Army (HKO) and People's Partisan Forces (PHG), both armed wings of the Maoist Communist Party.
Contents
History
On April 24, 1972, the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist (sometimes TKP/ML is incorrectly referred to as "Partizan" after the name of one of its publications) was formed by a radical group led by İbrahim Kaypakkaya, it crafted 11-point program and intended to wage a People's War. However a year later Kaypakkaya was captured, tortured and killed. In 1978 the first conference was carried out affirming the TKP/ML's direction towards People's War and guerrilla warfare, however little progress was made in this direction. TKP/ML was involved in political violence between left and right wing groups in the 70s.
TKP/ML's military wing, the Liberation Army of the Workers and Peasants of Turkey (TiKKO), carried out militant and guerrilla actions in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, mainly in the Tunceli region, who's inhabitants saw the Maoist guerrilla war as revenge for the Dersim Massacre in 1938. TiKKO reached its height during this period carrying out guerrilla warfare in the mountainous areas of the Dersim and Black Sea regions.
In the late 1980s the TKP/ML suffered from a series of splits following the party's second congress. 1993 TKP/ML attempted to reunifiy with the DABK group which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
On May 17, 1985, TKP/ML broadcast propaganda message to millions of television viewers in Istanbul, replacing the soundtrack for the evening news.
2000–present
In 2000, Turkish security forces launched operations against TiKKO insurgents in the provinces of Tokat and Sivas. Discovering 12 hideouts, they recovered 9 machine guns, 4 rocket launchers, grenades and explosives as well as 10 tonnes of food and medicine.
On December 11, 2000, TiKKO insurgents open fire on a police special task force, killing 2 and wounding 12.
In 2001, police captured five insurgents and weapons including two 9K111 Fagot anti-tank missiles.
On 16 June 2005, Turkish armed forces killed 17 members of MKP.
In March 2009, Tamer Bilici, a doctor in service during a 2000 hunger strike in Kandıra F-type prison, was punished by MKP-HKO for being a public enemy because he was blamed for deaths, and permanent disabilities of inmates. In September 2009 MKP-HKO claimed responsibility for the death of a retired colonel, Aytekin İçmez.
On 29 June 2010, two guerillas of the TIKKO were killed in the mountains of Tunceli by the Turkish state forces.
On 2 February 2011, five guerillas of TIKKO in Tunceli died as a result of an avalanche.
On 15 November 2012, 24 guerillas of HKO were surrounded and captured in Tunceli
On 26 July 2013, the control building of a hydroelectric power plant regulator was bombed in the countryside of Tunceli Province by TIKKO militants.
On 14 March 2014 TİKKO guerrillas attacked a police station in Tunceli. TKP/ML declared that the attack was revenge for the death of Berkin Elvan.
On 8 July 2014 TİKKO guerrillas stopped a truck carrying five workers to a base station at Altınyüzük and set the vehicle on fire.
In June 2015 MKP-PHG killed former colonel Fehmi Altinbilek.
On 21 October 2015 three TİKKO guerrillas died in a clash with TSK in Ovacık.