EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

• The goal of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is to establish an independent Kurdish state within the present boundaries of Turkey.
• Tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) employed by the PPK include kidnappings, hijackings, suicide bombings, and tactical operations against the Turkish army and security forces.
• Turkey regards the PKK as a direct threat to its national security, and regards PKK provocations staged from Syrian territory as an indicator of PKK influence in that country.
• Although serving a life term for treason since 1999, Abdullah Ӧcalan, the leader of the PKK, still exerts a strong influence on its policies and tactics.
• The PKK is a major player in the international drug trade. The organization uses profits garnered from this trade to fund its terrorist activities and infrastructure in Turkey and the neighboring countries of Iraq, Iran, and Syria.
• There is a definite correlation between a spike in PKK-related violence in 2012 and the recent breakdown of a diplomatic agreement involving Iraq, Syria, and Iran, who formerly agreed to forbear supporting PKK actions directed against Turkey.