[AP/International Herald Tribune] A Kurdish Islamic militant group with reported ties to al-Qaeda is re-emerging in Turkey after six years underground - and has started issuing vague but worrying threats, authorities say. Turkish Hizballah's rise parallels developments across the broader Muslim world, where the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon are believed to have served as powerful recruiting tools for radical Islamic groups. Turkish Hizballah, which has no formal links to the Lebanon-based Hizballah, was largely eradicated six years ago when its leader was killed and more than 6,000 of its members were arrested in a massive police crackdown. Like the Lebanese Hizballah, the Turkish group is allegedly backed by Iran.
2006-12-26 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive