"Militants claim responsibility for Turkish airport fire"

Friday, May 26, 2006

We torched airport: Kurds
The Associated Press


A KURDISH militant group has claimed responsibility for a major fire at
Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport.

The claim, made on a pro-Kurdish newsagency website, could not be
independently verified. 

Turkish Government officials refused to comment. 

The officials had earlier ruled out sabotage as a cause of the blaze. 

But police said an investigation to determine the cause of yesterday's fire
was still under way. 

The state-owned news agency reported that police were looking at security
camera video footage to determine the cause. 

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organisation, a hardline group linked to the
main Kurdish guerilla group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, said it
started the blaze. 

The fire destroyed much of the cargo terminal at the airport. 

The group has claimed eight bombings in Istanbul this year and recently said
tourism and economic targets were among the group's priorities. 

Previous bombings left two dead and 47 injured. 

The huge fire quickly engulfed the airport's cargo section, destroying most
of the building and forcing about 2000 workers to flee. 

Thick, black smoke could be seen 10km away. 

It forced the closure of one of the runways. 

Three people suffered smoke inhalation, but no one was killed. 

Kurdish militants have been fighting for autonomy in Turkey since 1984, in a
fight that has left more than 37,000 dead. 

The group appears to be a radical offshoot of the PKK, which does most of
its fighting in the country's Kurdish-majority southeast. 

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons have vowed to bring the fight to Turkey's
cities.

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