The PKK Case

145 Pages·2015·1.61 MB·English

by  Janice R. Long

NAVAL
POSTGRADUATE

SCHOOL

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA

THESIS

COMBATTING COMMERCIAL TERRORISTS: THE PKK
CASE

by

Ulas Yildiz

December 2015

Thesis Advisor: Robert E. Looney
Second Reader: Robert M. McNab
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(Leave blank) December 2015 Master’s thesis
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COMBATTING COMMERCIAL TERRORISTS: THE PKK CASE
6. AUTHOR(S) Ulas Yildiz
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Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT
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13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words)
Money is vital for all terrorist organizations. For some organizations, it is a tool to achieve
their goals; for others, it is the objective itself. Terrorists participate in organized crime activities
at various levels. Organized crime expert Tamara Makarenko describes the nexus between
organized crime groups and terrorist groups. This study expanded her continuum into
understanding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its evolution through the organization’s
financial sources.
Using this continuum, this study characterizes the PKK as a commercial terrorist group with
strong financial motivations. Its financial motivations are stronger than its political ones. It
originated as a pure terrorist organization sheltered by sponsoring states; meanwhile, it
continuously improved its capabilities in criminal fields. To more easily conduct its criminal
operations, its members maintain their deceptive political rhetoric. By UN standards, the
organization can also be identified as a transnational organized crime group by considering the
severity of its crimes and its criminal network across the Middle East, Turkey, and Europe.

14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF
terror, hybrid, transnational crime, organized crime, financing, sponsoring, Greece, PAGES
Syria, Armenia, Russia, Makarenko, PKK, Kurdistan Workers’ Party, drug trafficking, 145
human trafficking, cigarette smuggling, prostitution, extortion, money laundering, 16. PRICE CODE
Turkey
17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION
CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

COMBATTING COMMERCIAL TERRORISTS: THE PKK CASE

Ulas Yildiz
Captain, Turkish Gendarmerie
B.S., Turkish Military Academy, 2004

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES
(COMBATING TERRORISM: POLICY & STRATEGY)

from the

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
December 2015

Approved by: Robert E. Looney
Thesis Advisor

Robert M. McNab
Second Reader

Mohammed Hafez
Chair, Department of National Security Affairs
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ABSTRACT
Money is vital for all terrorist organizations. For some organizations, it is a
tool to achieve their goals; for others, it is the objective itself. Terrorists
participate in organized crime activities at various levels. Organized crime expert
Tamara Makarenko describes the nexus between organized crime groups and
terrorist groups. This study expanded her continuum into understanding the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its evolution through the organization’s
financial sources.
Using this continuum, this study characterizes the PKK as a commercial
terrorist group with strong financial motivations. Its financial motivations are
stronger than its political ones. It originated as a pure terrorist organization
sheltered by sponsoring states; meanwhile, it continuously improved its
capabilities in criminal fields. To more easily conduct its criminal operations, its
members maintain their deceptive political rhetoric. By UN standards, the
organization can also be identified as a transnational organized crime group by
considering the severity of its crimes and its criminal network across the Middle
East, Turkey, and Europe.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1
A. THE SIGNIFICANCE AND GOAL OF THE STUDY ....................... 1
B. PRELIMINARY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ORGANIZED CRIME
AND TERRORISM ......................................................................... 5
C. BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PKK .................................... 10
D. POTENTIAL EXPLANATIONS AND HYPOTHESES................... 17
E. RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................... 17
F. THESIS OVERVIEW .................................................................... 18
II. THE COMPARISON OF ORGANIZED CRIME AND TERROR .............. 21
A. THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF A CONTINUUM ................................ 21
B. HYBRID ORGANIZATIONS ......................................................... 27
1. Alliance ............................................................................. 27
2. Operational Tool .............................................................. 28
3. Convergence .................................................................... 29
a. Political Crime Group ............................................ 29
b. Commercial Terrorism .......................................... 30
4. Black Hole Syndrome ...................................................... 31
C. THE PKK’S PLACE ON THE CONTINUUM ................................ 31
1. Pure Terrorism Period ..................................................... 32
2. Alliance with Kurdish Drug Lords .................................. 35
3. Operational Tool Period .................................................. 35
4. Commercial Terrorism Period ......................................... 36
5. Creating a Black Hole or Transforming into a Pure
OC Group ......................................................................... 38
D. CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 39
III. STATE SPONSORSHIP PERIOD OF THE PKK .................................... 41
A. A PROXY FOR MANY COUNTRIES ........................................... 41
B. SYRIA .......................................................................................... 45
C. GREECE ...................................................................................... 49
D. RUSSIA........................................................................................ 59
E. ITALY ........................................................................................... 61
F. ARMENIA .................................................................................... 62
G. CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 63
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IV. FINANCIAL SOURCES OF THE PKK .................................................... 67
A. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 67
B. DRUGS ........................................................................................ 68
1. The Balkan Route ............................................................ 69
2. Revenue in the Drug Trade ............................................. 72
3. Cultivation and Manufacturing........................................ 75
a. Heroin..................................................................... 75
b. Amphetamine-Type Stimulants ............................ 77
c. Cannabis ................................................................ 77
4. Collecting Commission ................................................... 80
5. European Street Market ................................................... 82
C. EXTORTION ................................................................................ 84
D. HUMAN SMUGGLING ................................................................. 89
E. CIGARETTE SMUGGLING .......................................................... 91
F. MONEY LAUNDERING ............................................................... 93
G. CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 95
V. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 99
A. LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................. 99
B. RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ........................... 104
1. Standing Firm against Security Threats ....................... 107
2. International Cooperation ............................................. 111
3. Sharing Information ....................................................... 112
4. Education ....................................................................... 113
5. Economic Precautions .................................................. 114
C. LAST WORDS ........................................................................... 116
LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................. 117
INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST ......................................................................... 127

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