Originally formed in 1978 as Devrimci Sol, or Dev Sol, it was a splinter faction of the Turkish People's Liberation Party/Front. Renamed in 1994 after factional infighting, it still espouses a Marxist ideology and is virulently anti-United States and anti-NATO. The group finances its activities chiefly through armed robberies and extortion.

Activities
Since the late 1980s, the organization has concentrated attacks against current and retired Turkish security and military officials. Most attacks are in Turkey, primarily in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Adana. The group began a new campaign against foreign interests in 1990. Protesting the Gulf war, it assassinated two US military contractors and wounded a US Air Force officer. They launched rockets at US Consulate in Istanbul in 1992. In early 1996 Dev Sol assassinated a prominent Turkish businessman, which was its first significant terrorist act as DHKP/C. The group conducts fundraising operations in Western Europe.