Three Kurdish women 'executed' in Paris

Three Kurdish women, including one of the founders of a militant group battling Turkish troops since 1984, were slain in Paris, French officials said today. Angry Kurds immediately flooded the area, with some claiming the killings were a "political assassination."

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who visited the pro-Kurdish center in Paris where the bodies were found, said the deaths were "without doubt an execution." He called it a "totally intolerable act."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killings. A Turkish lawmaker with the ruling party claimed the women were slain in a dispute between factions of the Kurdistan Workers Party. The group, known as the PKK, is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies, including the United States and the European Union.

Kurdish protesters and a Kurdish lawmaker in Turkey claimed the Turkish government was involved.

The slayings came as Turkey was holding peace talks with the group to try to persuade it to disarm. The PKK has been battling Turkish troops since 1984, seeking self-rule for Kurds in southeast Turkey. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Kurds make up more than 20 percent of Turkey's 75 million people and also live in Syria, Iran, Iraq and other neighbouring areas.

read more:

Three Kurdish women 'executed' in Paris