PKK Crackdown: Why It's Interesting

Never really heard of the PKK, eh? Here's a brief:

Outside of Turkey, there has been remarkably little attention paid to the major European raids against the PKK, which began in early February in France and have now included operations in Belgium and by some accounts, possibly Germany as well, with arrests of some 40 people in all on charges relating to terrorism and terrorist finance.

According to wire reports and articles in the Turkish press, the operation is being conducted within the scope of an investigation into the financing of terrorism, organized crime, and money laundering, including trafficking in narcotics and extortion in order to finance the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization.

My personal red-flag-o-meter pops towards a "10" whenever 'Workers' Party' appears as part of a name. Of course, like Secretary Gates, I've lived through one Cold War with its frequent "hot" challenges.

Just sayin'.....

HT: CounterTerror Blog