Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (RPLP/F)
Names. DHKP/C, Devrimci Sol, Dev Sol, and Revolutionary Way.
Goals and Objectives. The RPLP/F is an anti-Western Marxist group determined to rid Turkey of Western influence in order to turn it into a socialist state. The group regards the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as imperialistic and is opposed to Turkey’s membership in NATO.
Favored Tactics. The RPLP/F has engaged in targeted assassinations, rocket attacks, and bombings.

Brief History. Founded in 1978 as an offshoot of the Turkish People’s Liberation Party, the RPLP/F (originally Devrimci Sol or Dev Sol) began as a national political movement and turned into a terrorist organization. The "Party" refers to the group’s political wing, while the "Front" refers to its military operations. The RPLP/F began its terrorist career by assassinating current and retired prominent Turkish officials, including the 1980 assassination of former premier Nihat Emir. From 1981-1983, years of a military junta, the Turkish government managed to curtail the group’s activities. However, by the late 1980’s, the RPLP/F had recovered enough to carry out three simultaneous bombings against American economic interests (see below) and assassinate a former chief of the Turkish National Intelligence Agency in Istanbul. Throughout the 1990’s, the RPLP/F intensified its anti-Western activity but also developed internal factions. Group members claimed the murder of a British businessman in Ankara in 1991, and in 2001 detonated a pipe bomb in a crowd of New Year’s Eve celebrants, injuring ten.

Favored Tactics. The RPLP/F has engaged in targeted assassinations, rocket attacks, and bombings.

Anti-American Activity. The RPLP/F has been anti-American since its founding and has attacked American officials and civilians. For example, in February 1990, RPLP/F assassinated two Defense Department Contractors to protest the Gulf War. A month later the group shot and injured a U.S. Air Force officer near Izmir. In 1992, RPLP/F members fired a rocket at the U.S. Consulate in Ankara which produced no casualties.

Primary Areas of Operation. The RPLP/F is located in Turkey with headquarters in Germany. Within Turkey, the group is based around the Aegean region. Attempts to move the group toward the Mediterranean were limited by the government.

Strength and Composition. Unknown.

Connections with Other Groups. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK or KADEK) provided a safe haven for the RPLP/F in Southeast Anatolia in the Black Sea region. The two groups signed a protocol in 1996 that would deepen cooperation between the two groups However, cooperation has since broken down. (See PKK entry, above.)

State Supporters, Other Sources of Funding, and Constituencies. The RPLP/F has no known state supporters. It reportedly maintains fund raising operations in Western Europe.

Originally Designated as an FTO. October 8, 1997.

Re-designated. October 8, 1999, October 5, 2001.

Issues of Concern for Congress. This group has violently attacked Americans and American interests. It is opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has assassinated Turkish, American, and British officials, though not since the early 1990s.