THKO
|
People's Liberation Army of Turkey
Türkiye Halk Kurtuluş Ordusu |
|
|---|---|
| Leader |
Deniz Gezmiş Yusuf Aslan Hüseyin İnan |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Dissolved | 1972 |
| Succeeded by |
THKO-TDY TDKP |
| Ideology |
Communism Marxism–Leninism Anti-revisionism |
| Political position | Far-left |
| Colours | Red |
People's Liberation Army of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Halk Kurtuluş Ordusu, abbreviated THKO) was an armed underground far-left movement in Turkey. It was founded at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey in 1970 by Hüseyin İnan, Yusuf Aslan, Sinan Cemgil, Deniz Gezmiş, Taylan Özgur and Cihan Alptekin.
THKO was of the opinion that it had become impossible to carry on the struggle for independence and democracy within the legal framework and depending on peaceful methods of struggle in Turkey. The organization struggled for what they called a "National Democratic Revolution". One of the main goals was to rid Turkey of all things American. The main thesis of THKO were:
The organization's activities started in January 1971. THKO carried out several high-profile attacks. For instance, on March 27, 1972, the THKO abducted three NATO engineers (two British, one Canadian), working at a radar base in Ünye. The kidnapping was perpetrated in cooperation with another organization: the People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey or THKP-C. The kidnappers tried to hide in the village of Kızıldere, but were discovered by the authorities who surrounded their hideout. In the following shootout the hostages and all ten of the kidnappers were killed. One was caught alive.
On October 22, 1972, four students belonging to the THKO hijacked a Turkish airliner with 69 passengers on board after takeoff from Ankara. The aircraft was forced to change its course and eventually landed in Sofia, Bulgaria. During the hijacking one passenger and a pilot were injured and they were allowed to leave the plane together with the women who were released with their children. The four hijackers demanded the release of all political prisoners in Turkey, but after just one day they surrendered to the Bulgarian authorities.
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