Turkey is against all kinds of terror, says Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın
by Daily Sabah with AA
ISTANBULJul 22, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah with AA
Jul 22, 2015 12:00 am
Presidential spokesman made a statement on late Tuesday about the allegations that Turkey supports the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
"The fact that Turkey is completely against every terrorist organization including Daesh is self explanatory," said the presidential spokesman, using a local acronym for ISIS.
"Along with that, there are also those trying to legitimize the PKK terrorist organization," he added.
Commenting further on the fight against ISIS, he said "It is completely false that Turkey has not condemned Daesh terror and that has not carried out military operation against its militants. Turkey listed Daesh as a terrorist organization in October 2013. Since then, more than 1.600 ISIS-linked militants have been deported and more than 15,000 have been denied entry."
Touching upon the terrorist attack that took place in Suruç in southeastern Turkey on Monday which claimed 32 lives and injured 104, he said, "Extensive investigation has been commenced regarding the terrorist attack in Suruç. With those obvious realities about Turkey's stance on terrorist organizations, it is saddening that some politicians try to take advantage of the suicide attack and breed bad blood in the region."
Turkey has long been accused of supporting terrorist organizations, in spite of its clear stance against every kind of terrorism. Many officials have stated countless times that Turkey has never supported any terrorist organization. Even though the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized many times that Turkey has never supported any terrorist organization regardless of its ideology, and that terror "does not have any race, religion or sect", many members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) including the co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ have accused Turkey of supporting the ISIS terrorist organization after the clashes between PYD/PKK and ISIS started. Along with that, many senior ISIS members have also accused Turkey of supporting the PKK-offshoot PYD terrorist organization in Syria.
Demirtaş criticized the government for stoking tensions and on Tuesday attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for not cutting short an official trip to Northern Cyprus in the wake of the attack.
Demirtaş also castigated Erdoğan for not offering his condolences to the families of the victims, blaming the HDP for the attack and supporting ISIS -- all charges that Kalın said were "unacceptable fictitious claims and deliberate distortions".
He added: "Contrary to Demirtaş' claims, President Erdoğan made a statement yesterday [Monday] where he openly and fiercely condemned the terrorist attack in Suruç and stressed that the perpetrators would be found and punished whoever they may be."
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.