Turkey onslaught on Kurds, after IS attack, fuels anger

Just when it seemed Turkey was getting serious about the fight against IS, it has turned its military focus to pounding its old foe: the Kurdish rebels.
In Turkey's Kurdish heartland, the government's renewed military onslaught against the rebels has left many people crying treachery with suspicions rife that Turkey used a brief offensive against IS as a cover to launch a broad attack against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
Many Kurds also are venting frustration against the United States, accusing Washington of turning a blind eye to Turkish attacks on the Kurds in exchange for logistical support on IS.

"We are used to this. Kurds have witnessed betrayal for centuries" said Axin Bro, a musician. "National powers use us for their own ends."
The US had welcomed Turkey's air assault last week on the Islamic State group, along with its decision to open air bases for American sorties, as a sign that Turkey had dropped its reluctance to fight the extremist group.
Since then, the jets taking off from this city in Kurdish-dominated lands have been hitting PKK targets in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey, as the militant group has targeted military and police in Turkey.

The US has said Turkey has a right to defend itself against the PKK, which Washington, like Turkey, considers a terrorist group.

Of the 1,300 people the government rounded up in a nationwide anti-terror sweep, the overwhelming number has been Kurdish. That may reflect the PKK's greater presence in Turkish society, but Kurdish politicians charge that the government's objective is to curb the rising political power of the Kurds.
The mayor of Diyarbakir said distrust is growing toward both the government and the US.
"People here see that there have been several weak operations against IS while there have been repeated operations against Kurds both politically and militarily," Gultan Kisanak said in an interview.
She said many constituents are asking whether there was a tacit deal between Turkey and the US for the US to look the other way on Kurdish operations in exchange for access to Turkish air bases.

The Turkish government has cast the simultaneous moves against IS and the PKK, as well as the arrest of members of a leftist group, as decisive steps to protect the public and Turkish democracy.
Today, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the spike of violence by the PKK had forced Turkey to act against the Kurds, just as it was considering what to do about the apparent IS bombing last week near the border with Syria, which killed 32 people.