PM Davutoğlu chairs security meeting, calls for effective combat against terrorism
by Daily Sabah
ISTANBULAug 01, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah
Aug 01, 2015 12:00 am
Chairing the security meeting held in Ankara on Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called for more effective combat against terrorism, first and foremost against the PKK, ISIS and DHKP-C.
"For the peace and security of our nation, our fight against terrorist organizations will continue without interruption," said the Prime Minister emphasizing Turkey's determination once again.
Urging the relevant governors and bureaucrats participating in the meeting "to continue the fight against terrorism within the scope of democratic constitutional state laws", Davutoğlu emphasized that" no illegal organization is to be allowed to exert pressure on our people" and every measure needs to be taken to ensure that our citizens lead a normal and safe life."
Senior administrative and civilian officials from 30 provinces across Turkey reportedly attended the nine-hour meeting in which evaluations were made about the region's current situation within the framework of the newly conducted 'Peace and Democracy' operation.
The situation the terrorist organizations and their activities in the region, the assessment of the region, the post-operation situation and the level of implementation of the given directions, the precautions and security measures to be taken after this stage were some of the topics discussed in the meeting.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister's Coordination Center, Deputy Prime Ministers Bülent Arınç, Yalçın Akdoğan and Numan Kurtulmuş, Justice Minister Kenan İpek, Minister of the Interior Sebahattin Öztürk, Deputy Chief of Staff General Yaşar Güler, Gendarmerie General Commander General Abdullah Atay, Prime Ministry Undersecretary Kemal Madenoğlu, Undersecretary of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Hakan Fidan, Public Order and Security Undersecretary Muhammed Dervişoğlu, Police Chief Celalettin Lekesiz and other high-ranking officials were among the participants of the critical meeting.
"The status of each province during the meeting was dealt with individually, district and neighborhood-based assessments were made in critical areas and the situation of our provinces near the Turkish-Syrian border were revised due to the ever-growing ISIS and PKK threats," said the statement. Turkey has seen an escalation of attacks by the PKK in recent days. The military and police have been hit by a number of attacks over the past week that were blamed on the PKK, as well as a suicide bombing linked to ISIS, which killed 32 people in the southeastern Turkish city of Suruç on July 20. Since July 21, at least 13 soldiers and police officers were killed in PKK attacks, mainly in the southeast. The latest violence was in Adana where two police officers were gunned down by a group of PKK militants when they stormed a police station in the southern city's Pozantı district.
The Turkish Armed Forces has launched airstrikes against the PKK in northern Iraq where the terrorist organization is holed up in a mountainous region. The Turkish military is one of the largest in the world and one of the largest with compulsory military service. More than 650,000 soldiers serve in the military, according to current figures. A military service of 12 months is compulsory for all men aged 20 and above, and the military has a right to draft able-bodied citizens in case of a war under the Mobilization Act.
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