To the Turks, they're &quot;Mountain Turks,&quot; but the Kurds view themselves as a distinctive ethnic group with only geographic ties to the country in which they live. Their decades-long struggle for an independent Kurdistan on Turkey's eastern border has at times turned deadly, claiming 30,000 lives in the early 1980s. Though the groups have taken steps toward conciliation in recent years, the recent disruption caused by the Iraq War has created a <em>de facto</em> Kurdistan in northern Iraq, once again igniting the hopes of Kurds&mdash;and the fears of Turks.http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorThu, 20 Nov 2008 4:19:19 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/33656/ex-pentagon-official-eying-iraq-oil-deal.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFormer Pentagon official Richard Perle is on board with a consortium seeking to drill for oil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the Wall Street Journal reports—though both Baghdad and Washington want a national oil law passed before regional business is done. The Iraq war backer denies that he’s involved with that outfit, said to include Turkish and Kazakh companies.http://www.newser.com/story/33656/ex-pentagon-official-eying-iraq-oil-deal.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 29 Jul 2008 16:18:33 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33485/istanbul-bombs-kill-13-injure-70.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTwo bombs exploded just minutes apart in Istanbul, killing 13 and injuring around 70 others today in a square packed with people, the governor said. The bombs were placed in trash cans and police were investigating who might be behind the blasts. "There is no doubt that this is a terror attack," he said.http://www.newser.com/story/33485/istanbul-bombs-kill-13-injure-70.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 27 Jul 2008 16:12:32 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/24693/turkey-launches-new-airstrike-in-iraq.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTurkey's air force flew into northern Iraq this morning, firing on a group of Kurdish guerrillas who officials said were attempting to cross the border, Reuters reports. The strikes "neutralized" several members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, said Turkish military authorities. The Kurdish separatist group confirmed the Turkish attack but claimed there were no casualties.http://www.newser.com/story/24693/turkey-launches-new-airstrike-in-iraq.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 16 Apr 2008 5:42:52 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/22288/kurds-battle-riot-police-in-turkey.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThousands of Kurds battled police with rocks and fires in Turkish cities today, the BBC reports. Dozens were injured, including almost 40 demonstrators and 15 officers, as cops arrested more than 130 people. One policeman and three protesters are in intensive care. Sparked by Turkey's strikes on Kurdish rebels in Northern Iraq last month, the clashes erupted during Kurdish spring festivals.http://www.newser.com/story/22288/kurds-battle-riot-police-in-turkey.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 22 Mar 2008 19:42:51 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/22174/16-arrested-in-plot-to-kill-turkish-laureate.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA nationalist party leader, a veteran journalist, and a top academic have been arrested over a plan to kill dissident Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. The leader of the Workers’ Party and former rector of Istanbul University, along with a general, and retired colonel, are among 16 who were detained over plans to kill the Nobel laureate and several senior Kurdish figures.http://www.newser.com/story/22174/16-arrested-in-plot-to-kill-turkish-laureate.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 21 Mar 2008 9:04:57 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/20394/turkey-pulls-out-of-n-iraq.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTurkey pulled its troops out of northern Iraq today, ending a controversial offensive that had Washington and Baghdad on edge, Reuters reports. In a statement, Turkey said it had made its point. “There was no question of completely liquidating” the PKK, the military said, “but Turkey has shown the organization that northern Iraq is not a safe haven for them.”http://www.newser.com/story/20394/turkey-pulls-out-of-n-iraq.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 29 Feb 2008 8:44:26 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/20195/turkey-gives-no-timetable-on-iraq-withdrawal.html?refid=rss_all_defaultDespite mounting casualties and outside pressure, Turkey said today it would not give a timetable on pulling back troops from an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, Reuters reports. Turkish soldiers have killed 230 PKK guerillas since the conflict began, and lost 24 of their own. Iraqi and US officials say the incursion could destabilize security in the country as a whole.http://www.newser.com/story/20195/turkey-gives-no-timetable-on-iraq-withdrawal.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 27 Feb 2008 11:32:39 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/20056/us-didnt-protest-turkish-incursion-into-iraq.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAs fierce fighting continues in northern Iraq, American officials have confirmed they were aware that Turkey planned to strike at Kurdish guerrillas inside the border—and didn't raise objections, the Wall Street Journal reports. The US did, however, urge Turkey to limit the length and scope of the incursion. "They understood why Turkey was doing this," said Turkey's ambassador to the US.http://www.newser.com/story/20056/us-didnt-protest-turkish-incursion-into-iraq.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 26 Feb 2008 4:45:50 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/19899/reb-leader-calls-for-kurd-uprising-in-turkey.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAs Turkish troops continue their unprecedented ground offensive in northern Iraq, a leader of the targeted Kurdish separatist group has called for Kurds living in Turkey to rebel. A news agency loyal to the Kurdistan Workers' Party carried the call of the rebel Kurd commander to make Turkish cities "uninhabitable." He pointed out that only a few young people would be necessary to burn hundreds of cars.http://www.newser.com/story/19899/reb-leader-calls-for-kurd-uprising-in-turkey.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 24 Feb 2008 7:02:55 CST