A rather curious announcement made by Partizan, a legal front for the outlawed Turkish Workers and Peasants Liberation Army (TİKKO), on Aug. 15, 2017 was another reminder of the transnational nature of the ongoing struggle in Syria. The announcement stated that one of their members by the name of Nubar Ozanian had died fighting in the ranks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) aligned International Freedom Battalion fighting against Daesh in Syria. Ozanian, an ethnic Armenian born in Turkey in 1956, had a long history of involvement in left-wing terrorism spanning four decades. While the extant information is insufficient to fully establish a chronological account of Ozanian's life, the available information nevertheless permits us to establish a link between various terrorist organizations.
The armed Maoist organization TİKKO was founded by İbrahim Kaypakkaya, one of the first leftist leaders in Turkey to utilize the relocation of Ottoman Armenians during World War I for political purposes. Ozanian is alleged to have joined Kaypakkaya's organization in the late 1970s and later received paramilitary training in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon – a hotbed for terrorist activity.
During this period the Beqaa Valley also hosted camps for organizations including the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), the PKK and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun (ARF). Turkish and Armenian terrorist factions active in Lebanon relocated their operations to Syria after the 1982 Israeli invasion. Many of the Lebanese born Armenian youths who carried out attacks against Turkish diplomats were radicalized during this period through involvement with Palestinian organizations.Given the crackdown on underground left-wing activities in Turkey after the 1980 coup and the continued ability of ASALA to launch attacks on civilians in Turkey in both 1982 and 1983, the Turkish army launched a cross-border operation in October 1984 that destroyed PKK and ASALA camps. As ASALA descended into violent feuding during the mid-80s, its operational capability was greatly reduced. The Dashnaks stepped in and provided explosives training to the PKK in Syria during the years 1985-1986.
It was during this period that Ozanian went into exile in France where he acted as the bodyguard for Turkish filmmaker Yılmaz Güney. Güney, who fled to France after being accused of murdering a judge, was close to Armenian revolutionary circles. He participated in the Dashnak organized "trial" of Turkey in 1984 alongside scholars such as Gerard Lebardian and Amnesty International founder Sean McBride. Güney also gave interviews to the ASALA-aligned Hay Baykar newspaper published by Jean-Marc "Ara" Toranian – today a leading Armenian lobbyist in France who was recently pictured alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at an award ceremony in Paris.
In July, 1983, one month after the attack on Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, the PKK's Serxwebûn journal called on ASALA to join with the PKK in a "partnership of fate." Similarly, Toranian openly boasted in 1985 that ASALA was working not just with the PKK but with other outlawed organizations in Turkey.
The first instance of cooperation between the PKK and ASALA appears to have been inscribed in a decision reached by both organizations as early as 1980. This document included provisions for the founding of a federal state and had also laid the groundwork for joint armed actions against Turkey. While the PKK had not yet launched its armed campaign in Turkey, in the early 80s a number of attacks on Turkish diplomatic missions were claimed jointly by ASALA and the PKK.While Ozanian's activities in France during the period in question are largely unknown, his proximity to Güney and Armenian revolutionary circles suggests that at the very least he would have been aware of events. TİKKO claims during the period he was instrumental in strengthening their structures in France. Between the years 1991-1994, Ozanian fought in the Nagorno-Karabakh War against Azerbaijan.
Prominent ASALA figures such as Monte Melkonian and detachments of the ARF were also involved in the struggle in Nagorno-Karabakh. While details are sketchy, TİKKO sources suggest that Ozanian subsequently returned to Turkey to begin a "Maoist insurrection" in Tunceli province. However, an interview with Ozanian's wife published in the Özgür Gelecek newspaper suggests that Ozanian resided in Yerevan for 24 years.
While few details are available, Ozanian apparently was active in Palestine between 1988 and 1990. The involvement of the Palestinian factor is a common characteristic of other similar Turkish and Armenian outfits. This was reflected in the message of condolence from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) upon the death of Ozanian. It is claimed that Hagop Hagopian, one of the founders of ASALA, was also previously a member of the PFLP. Ozanian was similarly commemorated by the Dashnaks and the Istanbul-based Nor Zartonk organization stated that Ozanian had been one of the "important bearers of the Armenian revolutionary tradition."Ozanian's code name is in itself telling. The forename Nubar was taken from Nubar Yalımyan, who according to various sources both was a member of both ASALA and TİKKO and who was killed in suspicious circumstances in the Netherlands. The surname Ozanian is said to have been taken from Andranik Ozanian, the Dashnak commander who committed massacres against civilians across eastern Anatolia in 1918.
While the full extent of Ozanian's involvement in Syria is unknown, an article published in the PKK-aligned Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper on Aug. 25 2017 shared details of the training Ozanian provided to the PKK. The article further mentioned that Ozanian was inspired by a "famous PKK bomber" and would "constantly explain stories about him."
While the full story of Ozanian is and probably will remain unknown, the transnational aspect of his terrorist career spanning four decades demonstrates the intricate networks that terrorist organizations manage to forge and the need for continued international cooperation to thwart their efforts. It also demonstrates that Turkey has fought transnational terrorism largely alone for almost five decades with little sympathy or support from allies.
* MA Graduate, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
