National Liberators of Kurdistan

The National Liberators of Kurdistan (KUK) was a Kurdish militant group that developed from the PDKT. After internal ideological debate, the PDKT was rebranded as the KUK, and the group began to adopt more radical, violent tactics. Another major shift was the group’s regional focus. The PDKT saw Iraqi Kurdistan as the center of Kurdish culture and power, but the KUK focused operations within Turkey. The KUK mainly operated along the Iraqi-Turkish border and had a well-developed presence by the early 1970s. As the PKK expanded its presence in these border regions (specifically around Mardin and Batman), the KUK and PKK clashed. The PKK won these battles and entered the region, significantly weakening the KUK. The KUK was eventually crushed following the 1980 Turkish military coup.