Turkish Revenge Brigade

The Turkish Revenge Brigade ( _tr. Türk İntikam Tugayı, TİT) is a militant organisation in Turkey. According to Human Rights Watch, it is not clear to what extent the Turkish Revenge Brigade is a continuous and distinct organization. [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/04/20/turkey10516.htm Turkey: Condemn Threats on Human Rights Defenders (Human Rights Watch, 20-4-2005) ] ] In 1996, it is reported that they were involved with the murder of Turkish Cypriot journalist Kutlu Adalı. [ [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10137 Reporters sans frontières - Cyprus (northern part) - 2004 Annual report ] ] On September 12 2006, in Diyarbakır, ten civilians were killed (7 of them children) and 17 wounded by a bomb placed next to an elementary school. According to Guardian Unlimited, Associated Press, and BBC, Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility. [cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6076711,00.html |title=Death Toll in Turkey Bombing Rises to 10|publisher=Guardian Unlimited|date=September 13, 2006] [cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1157913617271&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull|title=Bomb kills 7 in southeastern Turkish city|author=Associated Press|publisher=Jerusalem Post|date=September 12, 2006] [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5340408.stm|title=Explosion rocks SE Turkish city|author=|publisher=BBC News Online|date=September 12, 2006] According to Akşam, TİT claimed responsibility. [cite news|title=1 Death in Diyarbakır Blast |publisher=Turkish Newspaper AKSAM|date=09-13-06 |url=http://www.aksam.com.tr/haber.asp?a=52910,3] A radical faction of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), opposed to the group considering a ceasefire, is believed to be behind [this] deadly bombing in southeast Turkey, a senior Turkish minister said. [ [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/09/16/2003327870 Taipei Times - archives ] ] It is believed that TAK split off from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) when they became dissatisfied with the group's tactics. cite news|title=Militant Kurds warn of wreaking havoc |publisher=Houston Chronicle |date= 2006-08-30 |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4149734.html] cite news|title=Kurdish rebels say they planted Turkish resort bomb |publisher=Reuters AlertNet |date= 2006-08-29 |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29922136.htm]

TİT claimed responsibility for an armed attack in 1998 on the then IHD (Turkish Human Rights Organisation) president, Akın Birdal, in which he was critically wounded. [ [http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur440142005 Turkey: Death threats/Fear for safety | Amnesty International ] ] According to Human Rights Watch, murders of parliamentary deputy Mehmet Sincar and the journalist Ferhat Tepe in 1993 have been carried out in TİT's name. Later, it was found that Mehmet Sincar was assassinated by Hezbollah in Turkey, who were aiming to assassinate Nizamettin Toğuç.cite news| title = Sincar cinayeti çözüldü | url = http://www.aksam.com.tr/arsiv/aksam/2001/12/05/yasam/yasam8.html | publisher Akşam newspaper |language = Turkish| date = 2001-12-05] It is a Kurdish [ [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/hizbullah-t.htm Turkish-Hizballah] ] [ [http://www.thenewanatolian.com/opinion-18265.html The revival of Kurdish Islamism] ] Islamist (Sunni) militant organisation, unrelated to Hezbollah based in Lebanon, [ [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/467/re2.htm Tales from the crypt] .] that arose in the late 1980s in response to alleged Kurdistan Workers Party atrocities against Muslims in southeastern Turkey, where many have proposed that the group seeks to establish an independent Islamic state. [ [http://www.aksiyon.com.tr/detay.php?id=19475 Maskeli Hizbullah’ın hedefi cemaatler] .]

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