CIA report reveals PKK's racketeering, murders since 1980s

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) documents have revealed the terrorist activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization dating back to 1980.

According to the report, the PKK collected money from the Kurdish-origin people living particularly in Western Europe to finance the terror group and carried out murders against its opponents.

The findings were part of a 1986 report issued by the foreign intelligence service of the United States federal government, which indicated that the PKK used sub-branches such as ERNK to collect money from businessmen across Europe.

The report also stated that the PKK intended to continue its terrorist activities in Syria after the 1980 military coup in Turkey.

Syria's support of the PKK was also revealed in 1983 report released by the CIA. The briefing indicated that Turkey at that time was quite uncomfortable about the Syrian government's support of the PKK.

The PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Öcalan was known to have hidden in the complex of the al-Muhaberat, the Syrian intelligence service.

For decades, Syria and Turkey have been entangled in many disputes, including the self-annexation of the Hatay Province to Turkey in 1939, water disputes resulting from the Southeastern Anatolia Project, and Syria's support for the outlawed PKK.

The U.S.,European Union and Turkey officially list the PKK as a terrorist organization.