I would have really liked to have started my first column of the new year by saying "Happy New Year," but Turkey experienced another atrocity during the first hours of 2017 while Europe was peacefully enjoying New Year's Eve. People celebrating New Year's at a nightclub in Istanbul were the victims of a ferocious terrorist attack. Some 39 people were killed while dozens were injured and hospitalized. A terrorist, who is evidently a well-trained murderer, first killed the police officer, security officers and bouncers on duty at the club's door, and then shot the people inside the club. The terrorist had six cartridge clips and 180 bullets with him and many of his targets were the foreigners that visited Istanbul to celebrate New Year's Eve.
Similar to several cases that happened in France and the U.S., the targets in this attack were innocent civilians. As the only country determinedly fighting all kinds of terrorist groups, Turkey has been subjected to numerous terrorist attacks over the last couple of months. Dozens of civilians, police and military officers were killed. Following this latest attack, both the U.S. and the EU issued messages of condemnation. And interestingly, for the first time the U.S. offered to support the investigation on the attack.
Such condemnations do not make sense to Turkey any more. Turkish citizens now do not think these messages are sincere. The offer of supporting the investigation particularly distressed people in Turkey. Turkish citizens are right in their resentment since the U.S. provides the terrorists with weapons and other kinds of logistical support.
In the last days of 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu shared the data and evidence they had with the world. The two statesmen showed proof that the U.S. and some EU countries gave weapon aid to several terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. particularly is providing weapons and ammunition to the outlawed PKK's Syrian offshoots the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD). Moreover, the PYD/YPG militants are directly trained by American officers.
There is a bitter truth that the EU public does not know about. The EU media is presenting the PYD/YPG terrorist group as an organization speaking for the Kurds in Syria, and the EU public believes it. However, this is a lie. The PKK adopts different names in Syria and Iran and sends its militants to the front under different names since the PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the major international nations. In doing so, they want to deceive the world. The PYD/YPG, which engage in violent attacks in Syria and Turkey, regards the PKK's leader Abdullah Öcalan as their leader. For this reason, they hang Öcalan's photos in every PYD/YPG building and representation office in the EU. Unfortunately, although this fact is known by the police and intelligence agencies in EU members states, it is hidden from the public with the help of the media.
But the truth is: the weapons provided to the PYD/YPG by the U.S. and some EU countries are, as a matter of fact, given to the PKK. To put it otherwise, the PKK is killing innocent people by using the weapons they received from the U.S and some EU countries. It is known that the suicide bombers causing many of the deadly attacks and casualties in Turkey were trained in Kobani. Some of these bombers were identified as PKK members, while the others were identified as PYD/YPG members. The PKK recently resorted to a new method in order to not bring the situation to the surface. After the latest attacks, a terrorist group called Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) began to claim responsibility for the attacks. Although TAK was founded by the PKK, an impression that it has no relation with the PKK is being created. However, these are all offshoots of the PKK and trained in Kobani to organize terrorist attacks.
Moreover, the PKK is in secret cooperation with Daesh and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The attacks in the region are organized by all of these groups in a coordinated way.
The PKK, Daesh and FETÖ are supporting each other before and after the attacks.
It was revealed how the EU public is being deceived on the matter when Turkish troops entered Syria to aid the Free Syria Army (FSA). While the villages and towns seized by Daesh were being liberated, Daesh terrorists were apprehended with PYD/YPG militants. Also, the PYD/YPG did not abstain from aiding Daesh by attacking the Turkish troops who were fighting Daesh.
Besides, for some reason, the U.S. war jets did not support Turkey's fight against Daesh in Syria. Russian jets have been providing air support to Turkey in this context.
Also, interestingly, some weapons given to the PYD/YPG by the U.S. and some EU countries were found on Daesh militants.
While the world was being deceived by the lie that suggests the PKK and the PYD/YPG fight against Daesh, the cooperation between the PYD/YPG, PKK and Daesh is also condoned. So, people in Turkey are rightfully questioning the U.S.'s motives.
Turkey is determinedly fighting terrorism but it has been left alone by the U.S. and NATO. Some EU countries who are NATO members do not support Turkey's anti-terror fight, either.
The worst part is, the terrorists shedding blood in Turkey are living in the U.S. or some EU countries and organize the attacks from there, which is a disgrace to humanity.
While Turkey is contributing to the cease-fire in Syria by cooperating with Russia and Iran, saving thousands of lives, and embracing more than 3 million refugees, the terrorist groups I listed above are shedding blood in Turkey.
But what are the U.S. and the EU doing about it? Condemning terrorism… However, the terrorists residing in these countries can freely maintain their activities. For instance, FETÖ leader Fethullah Gülen is leading the group's atrocious assaults from his residence located in the U.S., while the U.S. refuses to extradite him although Turkey has requested it dozens of times. The situation is no different in some EU countries. FETÖ and PKK militants have not been extradited to Turkey despite all repeated requests. They are maintaining their activities in the EU. Also, the terrorists that deceive the public by not using the PKK's name opened representation offices in some EU capitals. The European Parliament also acts as a propaganda platform for the PKK, PYD/YPG and FETÖ.
The new year unfortunately started with another atrocity in Turkey. Turkey has been left alone in its fight against the terrorist groups. At this point, the condemnation messages do not make any sense. If the U.S. and the EU are really sincere about taking part in the counter-terror fight, they first have to extradite the militants, who proved to be the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, and stop the activities of these terrorist groups in their countries.
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