ACCESSION
NUMBER:362959
FILE ID:TXT201
DATE:10/04/94
TITLE:SETBACK FOR TURKISH TERRORISTS (10/04/94)
TEXT:*94100401.TXT
SETBACK FOR TURKISH TERRORISTS
1VOA Editorial) (330)
(Following is an editorial, broadcast by the Voice of America October 4,
reflecting the views of the U.S. government.)
International terrorism recently suffered a major defeat with the arrest of
Dursun Karatas, head of the group known as Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary
Left), or Dev-Sol. Karatas was taken into custody last month by
authorities in Modane, France, on an international warrant issued by the
government of Turkey.
Formed in 1978 as a splinter faction of the Turkish People's Liberation
Front, Dev-Sol is an intensely xenophobic, anti-U.S., anti-NATO, Marxist
terrorist group. Its activities are financed chiefly through armed
robberies and extortion.
Over the years, Dev-Sol terrorists have murdered a number of Turkish
officials, including former Prime Minister Nihat Erim. In 1990, Dev-Sol
launched a wave of attacks against foreign interests. The terrorists
murdered two U.S. military contractors and attempted to kill a U.S. air
force officer. In April and July 1992, Dev-Sol fired rockets at the U.S.
Consulate in Istanbul.
Dursun Karatas, the terrorist group's leader, is believed to be responsible
for the murders of 37 people. He had served nine years in prison for
terrorism before his escape in October 1989 along with Dev-Sol's
second-in-command, Bedri Yagan. Four years later, Yagan was killed in a
shoot-out with Turkish police. In April 1992, Karatas narrowly escaped
capture in a police raid that took the lives of 12 Dev-Sol members.
The arrest of Karatas shows how international cooperation can bring
terrorists to justice. As Secretary of State Warren Christopher has said,
"recent incidents in Latin America, Europe and Asia make clear that the
effort to defeat terrorism requires a concerted international response.
The United States is working with its allies around the world to improve
coordination and intelligence sharing which will aid in the apprehension of
those responsible for these crimes and help prevent further such
atrocities."
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