PKK MAIN OFFICIAL SUSPECT BEHIND SEPTEMBER 12

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 005269

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2021
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: PKK MAIN OFFICIAL SUSPECT BEHIND SEPTEMBER 12
DIYARBAKIR BOMBING


Classified By: ADANA CONSUL GENERAL ERIC GREEN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B),(D)


1. (U) This is a Consulate Adana cable.


2. (U) At 9:15 p.m. on September 12, a bomb exploded in
Diyarbakir,s Kosuyolu Park, killing 11 and wounding at least

15. Those dead include seven children, and many of those
injured have reportedly lost limbs. The person carrying the
bomb is also reportedly among the dead, leading some contacts
to conclude that the bomb may have exploded prematurely and
may not have been intended to target Diyarkbakir. Kosuyolu
Park is located in a poor district, northwest of the city
center. In the evenings, locals often gather in the park to
drink tea and socialize. While the police are still
investigating the incident, the Diyarbakir governor's office
has issued a statement to the effect that the blast occurred
during the "moving process" of the bomb, which was placed in
a thermos. Post has confirmed that no AmCits were among
those harmed.


3. (C) According to police authorities, the PKK is the main
suspect for the bomb. No organization has yet claimed
responsibility.


4. (C) The overwhelmingly Kurdish population of Diyarbakir
is not accepting the official explanation of PKK involvement.
NGOs sympathetic to Kurdish causes blamed elements of the
security forces, who they claim want to sabotage an
initiative, announced September 11, by the pro-Kurdish
Democratic Society Party (DTP) to encourage the PKK to launch
a unilateral ceasefire (see Ankara septel). Sezgin
Tanrikulu, the President of the Diyarbakir Bar Association,
likened the bombing to the November 2005 Semdinli incident,
in which many believe that the Jandarma provoked a
confrontation by setting off a bomb in a bookstore owned by a
PKK sympathizer. Tanrikulu added that the bombing may also
be a "message to the people of Diyarbakir" by security forces
members who want revenge for the recent bombings against
civilian targets at beach resorts in western Turkey.


5. (C) Selahattin Demirtas, President of the Diyarbakir
chapter of the Human Rights Association, agreed that the
bombing was intended to short-circuit attempts to de-escalate
the violence. He said that local NGOs will work together to
try to calm the people of the city, who could react violently
as was the case this past March, when large-scale disorder
followed the deaths of about a dozen PKK members in a clash
with security forces. A more neutral observer, Ismail
Bedirhanoglu, Chairman of GUNSIAD, a local business
association, also termed the attack a provocation that was
likely the responsibility of the government.

Comment
--------------


6. (C) On its face, it is illogical to ascribe an attack on
an impoverished section of Diyarbakir to the ostensibly
Marxist-Leninist PKK, which claims to defend the interests of
all Kurds with a special focus on the working class. Viewed
from this perspective and with Semdinli still a fresh memory,
it is not surprising that many are accusing the government of
instigating the attack. More plausible is the explanation
that the bomb was being transported elsewhere. While there
are undoubtedly elements of the security forces or "deep
state" wanting to sabotage moves towards a cease-fire, within
the PKK there is a "war faction" as well which would resist
efforts to move towards a peaceful settlement. And though
the PKK has not bombed Kurdish civilians so indiscriminately
in the past, some of its members may feel desperate. We will
remain in close contact with authorities as the investigation
continues.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON