 The PKK was then formed, as part of a growing discontent over the suppression of Turkey's ethnic Kurds, in an effort to establish linguistic, cultural, and political rights for Turkey's ethnic Kurdish minority.The PKK has been involved in armed clashes with Turkish security forces since its foundation, but the full-scale insurgency did not begin until 15 August 1984, when the PKK announced a Kurdish uprising.Since the conflict began, more than 40,000 people have died, most of whom were Kurdish civilians killed by the Turkish security forces.