The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is one of the most active and best-organized terrorist organizations in the world. It is their goal to establish an independent nation for Kurds, known as Kurdistan. To fully understand its current motives, however, it is necessary to understand the history of the Kurdish people. For centuries, the Kurdish people (estimates today suggest 20,000,000 Kurds) have inhabited an area in the Middle East encompassing southeast Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, with the majority residing in Turkey. In spite of the numerous and widespread populace, Kurdish leaders were unable to establish an autonomous nation. As a result, the Kurds have been forced to live under constant persecution from their unwilling host-states. Full Story