Europe must condemn PKK terror
Turkey is grieving deeply. Like the Diyarbakır blast before the June 7 elections and the Suruç suicide bombing in July, suicide bombers killed nearly 100 people and injured hundreds more this time in Ankara, Turkey's capital city.
I was among the thousands of people who gathered to condemn terrorism three weeks ago at the same square where two suicide bombers massacred people on Oct. 10. The Turkish public is grieving deeply since numerous people have been victimized by terrorist assaults so far.
This is enough. If our European friends are really on friendly terms with Turkey and its people, then they must take a stance against terror with Turkey.
For instance, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who is also a friend of mine, can set an example for the entirety of Europe since he knows Turkey very well and has been on friendly terms with Turkey not only from the years he acted as the mayor of Würselen, Germany, and I know that he is someone that does not refrain from calling a terrorist a terrorist.
Our European friends who closely follow Turkey know more than anyone the steps Turkey has taken and the prices it has paid to end terror.
It is a fact that the outlawed PKK does not favor the introduction of peace in Turkey since the PKK's war barons will not have a chance to continue their activities of drug and human trafficking if the group lays down its arms and a peaceful atmosphere ensues. Also, the PKK is the one that benefits the most from the chaos prevalent in Syria and Iraq.
The war barons in the PKK are grateful to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) since the ISIS presence guarantees the survival of the PKK.
Before Russia's violent intervention in Syria, as it once did in Afghanistan, the PKK and its Syrian wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), made this intervention possible by providing all sorts of subcontracting services.
And now the PKK is getting ready to act as a legionary force with the PYD for the U.S., which is concerned about the risk of losing the region to Russia. Hundreds of PKK militants who left PKK headquarters in northern Iraq's Qandil Mountains since Turkish aircraft have been conducting bombings there were transferred to Syria for this. The target is to declare autonomy in northern Syria where U.S. interests would be protected.
As Turkey is required to suffer from instability and domestic problems for these plans to work easily, PKK suicide bombers are in the act. So far, about 35 suicide bombers were caught and rendered ineffective in Turkey. However, as the EU knows very well from bitter experiences in Spain and the U.K., it is not possible to eliminate the danger of suicide bombing despite all notices and effective intelligence.
It is known that many suicide bombers affiliated with the PKK recently entered Turkey from northern Iraq. Turkey's security units are exerting their utmost efforts to render all those terrorists ineffective.Turkey has lost many members of its military and police officers in the war with the PKK. While suicide bombs exploded in Ankara on Oct. 10, a police officer was killed before the eyes of his pregnant wife in southeastern Turkey. The woman was also shot in the arm. This is the reality of PKK terrorism.
Two hours after the suicide bombing in Ankara, when no one knew the actual cause of the incident yet, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who acts as an advocate for the PKK, provoked the public against the government and declared the state a murderer in a speech that seemed to have been prepared beforehand. Strange, isn't it?
Likewise, HDP organizations and proponents took to the streets and protested the blast just after the incident with numerous banners as if they had waited for an order. They also wanted votes for the Nov. 1 elections.
If a suicide bomb attack had not taken place at the HDP rally in Diyarbakır before the June 7 elections, the HDP might not have exceeded the 10 percent national election threshold and entered Parliament. And now, a massacre took place at a time when discussions regarding declining HDP votes and the possibility of the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) coming to power alone again were on the rise. After the massacre, the HDP's professionally prepared anti-government campaign came to the fore.
All these incidents raise questions about the PKK, fueling suspicion that the PKK might be behind all these bloody assaults. PKK suicide bombers previously caused many fatalities in Turkey. And for this recent incident, the PKK's involvement is highly possible. We will see the truth after all investigations and analyses are completed. But another outstanding truth is that not only ISIS, but also the PKK must be eradicated. This is an inevitable urgency for the sake of humanity and for the introduction of peace in the Middle East.Our European friends should also see this and side with Turkey against the PKK along with the fight against ISIS. European countries must condemn the PKK and should not show any tolerance to PKK militants based in European countries.
If they do that, suicide bombers will not find any chance to kill our people in Turkey.
I was among the thousands of people who gathered to condemn terrorism three weeks ago at the same square where two suicide bombers massacred people on Oct. 10. The Turkish public is grieving deeply since numerous people have been victimized by terrorist assaults so far.
This is enough. If our European friends are really on friendly terms with Turkey and its people, then they must take a stance against terror with Turkey.
For instance, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who is also a friend of mine, can set an example for the entirety of Europe since he knows Turkey very well and has been on friendly terms with Turkey not only from the years he acted as the mayor of Würselen, Germany, and I know that he is someone that does not refrain from calling a terrorist a terrorist.
Our European friends who closely follow Turkey know more than anyone the steps Turkey has taken and the prices it has paid to end terror.
It is a fact that the outlawed PKK does not favor the introduction of peace in Turkey since the PKK's war barons will not have a chance to continue their activities of drug and human trafficking if the group lays down its arms and a peaceful atmosphere ensues. Also, the PKK is the one that benefits the most from the chaos prevalent in Syria and Iraq.
The war barons in the PKK are grateful to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) since the ISIS presence guarantees the survival of the PKK.
Before Russia's violent intervention in Syria, as it once did in Afghanistan, the PKK and its Syrian wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), made this intervention possible by providing all sorts of subcontracting services.
And now the PKK is getting ready to act as a legionary force with the PYD for the U.S., which is concerned about the risk of losing the region to Russia. Hundreds of PKK militants who left PKK headquarters in northern Iraq's Qandil Mountains since Turkish aircraft have been conducting bombings there were transferred to Syria for this. The target is to declare autonomy in northern Syria where U.S. interests would be protected.
As Turkey is required to suffer from instability and domestic problems for these plans to work easily, PKK suicide bombers are in the act. So far, about 35 suicide bombers were caught and rendered ineffective in Turkey. However, as the EU knows very well from bitter experiences in Spain and the U.K., it is not possible to eliminate the danger of suicide bombing despite all notices and effective intelligence.
It is known that many suicide bombers affiliated with the PKK recently entered Turkey from northern Iraq. Turkey's security units are exerting their utmost efforts to render all those terrorists ineffective.Turkey has lost many members of its military and police officers in the war with the PKK. While suicide bombs exploded in Ankara on Oct. 10, a police officer was killed before the eyes of his pregnant wife in southeastern Turkey. The woman was also shot in the arm. This is the reality of PKK terrorism.
Two hours after the suicide bombing in Ankara, when no one knew the actual cause of the incident yet, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who acts as an advocate for the PKK, provoked the public against the government and declared the state a murderer in a speech that seemed to have been prepared beforehand. Strange, isn't it?
Likewise, HDP organizations and proponents took to the streets and protested the blast just after the incident with numerous banners as if they had waited for an order. They also wanted votes for the Nov. 1 elections.
If a suicide bomb attack had not taken place at the HDP rally in Diyarbakır before the June 7 elections, the HDP might not have exceeded the 10 percent national election threshold and entered Parliament. And now, a massacre took place at a time when discussions regarding declining HDP votes and the possibility of the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) coming to power alone again were on the rise. After the massacre, the HDP's professionally prepared anti-government campaign came to the fore.
All these incidents raise questions about the PKK, fueling suspicion that the PKK might be behind all these bloody assaults. PKK suicide bombers previously caused many fatalities in Turkey. And for this recent incident, the PKK's involvement is highly possible. We will see the truth after all investigations and analyses are completed. But another outstanding truth is that not only ISIS, but also the PKK must be eradicated. This is an inevitable urgency for the sake of humanity and for the introduction of peace in the Middle East.Our European friends should also see this and side with Turkey against the PKK along with the fight against ISIS. European countries must condemn the PKK and should not show any tolerance to PKK militants based in European countries.
If they do that, suicide bombers will not find any chance to kill our people in Turkey.
Last Update: October 13, 2015 01:54