In October 1997 the PUK launched a major offensive against the KDP. The KDP had been helping the Turkish military against the PKK on the border. All hell broke loose when the PKK kids put on the warpaint and decided to join in the offensive. Poor old KDP. With the KDP about to go down and out for the count they had to whistle up help. It came in the form of the Turkish military who hammered the PUK with F-16s and Leopard MBTs. With a very sore head the PUK sulkily went back to Sulymanya crying foul. Come on guys, it was two to one to start with!
In 1998 the Turkish military captured Sakik, aka Fingerless Zeki), in northern Iraq. (Well, actually he surrendered to the KDP and the Turks nabbed him as he trundled off from Dohuk to Erbil.) Sakik, formerly the PKK's Tunceli commander, became regional commander in northern Iraq and the list of his charge sheet makes more extensive reading than DP. Since then, there has been all-out war between the Turkish military and KDP on one side and the PKK on the other in the region. All under a rather unsporting media blackout.
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