Kurdish Hezbollah
| Kurdish Hezbollah | |
|---|---|
| Hizbullahî Kurdî (Kurdish) Kürt Hizbullahı (Turkish) | |
Various color flags commonly used by the Kurdish Hezbollah | |
| Leaders | Hüseyin Velioğlu † İsa Altsoy |
| Dates of operation | Militarily: 1983-2002 |
| Active regions | Turkey |
| Ideology | Kurdish nationalism Kurdish-Islamic synthesis Social conservatism National conservatism Islamism Anti-Zionism Anti-communism Anti-secularism Factions: Pan-Islamism |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Allies | Iran (alleged by Turkey) PKK (before the 1992-1995 conflict; sometimes after) HIK (1993-2004) IMK (until disarmament) Saudi Arabia |
| Opponents | Turkey PKK (1992-1995; sometimes after) |
| Battles and wars | Kurdish–Turkish conflict Kurdish Hezbollah insurgency |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Turkey |
Kurdish Hezbollah (Kurdish: حیزبوڵڵای کورد, romanized: Hizbullahî Kurdî, Turkish: Kürt Hizbullahı) or Hizbullah, is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist militant organization, active against Turkey, and the PKK (mainly in the period between 1992 and 1995).
The group, founded by Hüseyin Velioğlu, remains a primarily Kurdish group that has its roots in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey and among Kurds who migrated to the cities in Western Turkey. The Kurdish Hezbollah began shifting increasingly towards Kurdish nationalism during Velioğlu's final years, and after Velioğlu's death, under İsa Altsoy's leadership, they disarmed and began focusing on charity work for the Kurdish population under various organizations. The Hezbollah reestablished in 2003 in southeastern Turkey and "today its ideology might be more widespread than ever among Kurds there". Turkish Hezbollah's influence was not limited to Turkey and it has also "left an imprint on Turkish Kurds in Germany." The Kurdish Hezbollah is closely affiliated with the Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR).
Despite similar names, Kurdish Hezbollah has no relationship whatsoever with Hezbollah of Lebanon, the Kurdish Revolutionary Hezbollah or the Kurdish Hezbollah of Iran.