President: We are well aware of Gülenist plot in Cizre
by Sena Alkan
ISTANBULJan 21, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Sena Alkan
Jan 21, 2015 12:00 am
The government is aware that Gülen Movement operatives are doing their utmost to derail the reconciliation process and is taking the necessary countermeasures, President Erdoğan said
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his speech at the Energy Markets Summit held by the Energy Experts' Association yesterday, said that there is a plot behind the latest disturbance in the town of Cizre in the southeastern province of Şırnak.
"We are well aware of the plots staged [by Gülenists], and we are taking the necessary measures against them. This is just the beginning. All [of their plots] will continue to come to light," said the president in an attempt to shed light on the operation carried out against Gülen Movement-linked figures in the police and judiciary.
The incidents in Cizre peaked when a 12-year-old boy was shot last week. In reference to three armed police officers who were caught throwing explosives at protestors in the southeastern city of Hakkari, Erdoğan said: "Are you aware of those who wear official state uniforms and drive the armed police vehicles, but place bombs on streets? Other police officers are now able to intervene. We went into their [Gülenists] caves."
Three police officers in Hakkari were caught throwing explosives at protestors. According to the information received, a group of civilians in Hakkari gathered to protest the violence in Cizre on January 15. When a nearby armored police vehicle started throwing explosives at protestors, other police officers intervened and initiated a probe. The three police officers manning the vehicle were pursued. The probe revealed that all three had been transferred from Hakkari, and Istanbul intelligence departments linked them to the Gülen Movement. The police officers were suspended pending a criminal investigation.
"The days when you can derail the country with several bomb attacks have been left behind…I tell you straight that Turkey will continue to develop its economy and democracy. We gave a promise both to our citizens and to those who set their hopes on Turkey in other countries around the world," declared the president.
Cizre, which is currently at the center of the turbulence in the Kurdish issue, is seen as a town that could seal the fate of the reconciliation process between Ankara and the Kurds. Since the October 2014 when Kobani incidents that killed dozens of people erupted, the town has witnessed heated protests and demonstrations. Turkish officials looking to end the reconciliation process successfully tried to defuse the tension in the town by stressing the importance of the reconciliation process with only months left before the national elections in June. Reportedly, the government does not want to see harm done to the reconciliation that is expected to yield positive results within months, with the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan possibly calling an end to the PKK-supported unrest in the region.
On January 14, a 12-year-old boy was killed in the town and it was alleged that a police officer shot him. Harshly denying the allegations covered by media outlets, the Interior Minister said: "Despite this, the child died. We will launch a serious investigation."
Four people were killed and three others were injured in December 2014 when clashes erupted between pro and anti-PKK groups in the same town, before being broken up by security forces.
The Gülen Movement is seen as a national threat by the government, with the movement accused of wiretapping thousands of people, including government officials and encrypted phones, and allegedly infiltrating state institutions with the aim of overthrowing the government. The movement, led by Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S., is described as "a state within the state" by the government, and most of its critics assert that infiltration by the movement goes back decades. The movement has been the leading opponent of the continuing reconciliation process, which aims to end terrorist violence in the southeast.
Following the Cabinet meeting chaired by Erdoğan, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice and Development Party spokesman Bülent Arınç said late January 19 that the social unrest in Cizre posed a direct threat to the reconciliation process, and added that the incidents were investigated in every aspect.
Expressing his sadness over the death of the 12-year-old boy in Cizre, Arınç said that all of the incidents in Cizre may refer to a message not to lay down its arms and not to stop the violence. He further added: "To fight against a possible bandit, to draw them away from the region is our government's duty."
The deputy prime minister continued his statements by saying that a number of armed vehicles and reinforcing forces have arrived in the region in any case.
"The public is now very sensitive over the Cizre issue. We are aware of that. To find those perpetrators and prevent similar incidents from happening is our primary goal," Arınç was quoted as saying.
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