Turkish gov't says it 'regrets' airstrike which killed 35 civilians

[News_Editor]

Turkish gov't says it 'regrets' airstrike which killed 35 civilians

2011-12-31 09:43:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

ANKARA (BNO NEWS) -- The Turkish government on Friday said it regrets an airstrike which mistakenly killed 35 civilians along the Turkey-Iraq border on late Wednesday evening, the Antolia news agency reported.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident was unfortunate and saddening. He said unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had noticed that nearly 40 people were moving in a region where the main camps of the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are situated.

"Naturally it is not possible for unmanned aerial vehicles to identify the group exactly. In a further identification, it is revealed that the group was comprised of cigarette and diesel oil smugglers," Erdogan added.

Turkish F-16 warplanes carried out the airstrike in Uludere township of Şırnak province on Wednesday night after receiving information that PKK members were preparing to cross into Sirnak. At least 35 Kurdish civilians who were mistaken for PKK members were killed.

President Abdullah Gul also expressed sorry about the incident and offered condolences to the victims' families. Gul and Erdogan said an investigation will be conducted into the incident, adding that there was about four hours of footage from the operation.

A mass funeral for the victims took place on Friday afternoon in Uludere. Thousands of Kurds gathered to mourn the victims and condemn the attack.

The PKK, which has been labeled as a terrorist organizations by the United States, Turkey and the European Union, was established in 1984 in its efforts to establish the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey as an autonomous Kurdish state. Over 40,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed in violent clashes since the group took arms. The PKK maintains its military bases across the Iraqi border.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-31

[Steely Dan]

No takers? Well I guess had the aggressors and victims been different several of our esteemed members would have been venting their spleen about this regrettable event. At least admission of guilt and an apology is a small step in the right direction.

[Orac]

No takers? Well I guess had the aggressors and victims been different several of our esteemed members would have been venting their spleen about this regrettable event. At least admission of guilt and an apology is a small step in the right direction.

I think regrettable is a far too mild term. The persecution of the Kurds by Turkey must rank as one of the biggest ongoing atrocities in the world today with shockingly little coverage from the media or action from major players due to the strategic importance of Turkey.

http://www.culturals...pression-turkey

Edited December 31, 2011 by Orac

[koheesti]

The Turks are operating their own drone? That's a scary thought. I wonder how long the battery lasts?

[Credo]

Apparently the life of Kurds is less valuable than the lives of the Taliban insurgents that get hit in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They seem to draw the ire of a number of posters on Thaivisa, who seem to be strangely silent.

[geriatrickid]

Turkey seems to be having a bit of political bumbling of late. I expect Erdogan will blame this on the Israelis, since the drones were purchased from Israel. Oh wait, maybe not, since the number of drone issues increased after the Turks severed the support and training agreement with the Israelis.

[GentlemanJim]

Apparently the life of Kurds is less valuable than the lives of the Taliban insurgents that get hit in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They seem to draw the ire of a number of posters on Thaivisa, who seem to be strangely silent.

Have you considered that all is rather quiet because people have better things to do on New Years eve and New Years day than sit reading chat forums.

[Credo]

Yeah, I considered that. But there are probably hundreds of other such threads buried in the news that attract little attention for those who can't bash certain countries.

The situation for the Kurds in Turkey (as well as Iraq, Iran and Syria) is difficult. Personally, I am surprised the gov't expressed any sympathy at all.

[GentlemanJim]

Well I guess the answer came from Steely's finger tips

No takers? Well I guess had the aggressors and victims been different several of our esteemed members would have been venting their spleen about this regrettable event. At least admission of guilt and an apology is a small step in the right direction.

.

Had the aggressor and victim been the different one that he is talking about, there would have been no admission of guilt or apology from the aggressor would there

The problem for governments like Turkey, and 'the other'! is that ethnic cleansing is becoming increasingly more difficult now that even most third world countries have 3G and even the poor have hand held phones capable of transmitting video and photo images. It used to be that atrocities could be kept secret, ...not any more.

[Nasreddin]

The PKK, which has been labeled as a terrorist organizations by the United States, Turkey and the European Union, was established in 1984 in its efforts to establish the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey as an autonomous Kurdish state. Over 40,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed in violent clashes since the group took arms. The PKK maintains its military bases across the Iraqi border.

^^ keep that in mind.

Interesting how some develop here a soft spot for a stalinist/marxist terror organisation as long they can bitch about Turkey.

[geriatrickid]

Apparently the life of Kurds is less valuable than the lives of the Taliban insurgents that get hit in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They seem to draw the ire of a number of posters on Thaivisa, who seem to be strangely silent.

Have you considered that all is rather quiet because people have better things to do on New Years eve and New Years day than sit reading chat forums.

I was recovering from inhaling toxic chinese fireworks fumes ang having one too many complimentary G&Ts. Plus the explosions started up again at 10 am in Patong.

[GentlemanJim]

Apparently the life of Kurds is less valuable than the lives of the Taliban insurgents that get hit in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They seem to draw the ire of a number of posters on Thaivisa, who seem to be strangely silent.

Have you considered that all is rather quiet because people have better things to do on New Years eve and New Years day than sit reading chat forums.

I was recovering from inhaling toxic chinese fireworks fumes ang having one too many complimentary G&Ts. Plus the explosions started up again at 10 am in Patong.

Ah but your safety precautions were good. I have it on good authority that the more G&T's you have the less toxic the fireworks become. With the added bonus that you are unlikely to pick up Malaria.

[Steely Dan]

The PKK, which has been labeled as a terrorist organizations by the United States, Turkey and the European Union, was established in 1984 in its efforts to establish the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey as an autonomous Kurdish state. Over 40,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed in violent clashes since the group took arms. The PKK maintains its military bases across the Iraqi border.

^^ keep that in mind.

Interesting how some develop here a soft spot for a stalinist/marxist terror organisation as long they can bitch about Turkey.

Perhaps it's not so much the 'bitching' about Turkey as the opportunity to point out the contrast in certain posters lack of interest here in marked contrast to what we get when the U.S uses drones in Afpak or Israel retaliates with air strikes in Gaza.

[GentlemanJim]

The PKK, which has been labeled as a terrorist organizations by the United States, Turkey and the European Union, was established in 1984 in its efforts to establish the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey as an autonomous Kurdish state. Over 40,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed in violent clashes since the group took arms. The PKK maintains its military bases across the Iraqi border.

^^ keep that in mind.

Interesting how some develop here a soft spot for a stalinist/marxist terror organisation as long they can bitch about Turkey.

Perhaps it's not so much the 'bitching' about Turkey as the opportunity to point out the contrast in certain posters lack of interest here in marked contrast to what we get when the U.S uses drones in Afpak or Israel retaliates with air strikes in Gaza.

I refer you to an earlier post

Post number 9

Maybe Turkeys admission of error and its apology has silenced all the normal critics. Maybe it's a strategy that Israel and the USA should consider now and again when they screw things up.

Edited January 2, 2012 by GentlemanJim

[Steely Dan]

I refer you to an earlier post

Post number 9

Maybe Turkeys admission of error and its apology has silenced all the normal critics. Maybe it's a strategy that Israel and the USA should consider now and again when they screw things up.

Hmm, I found your too busy celebrating hypothesis more convincing though it still fails to explain the lack of interest in say Assad turning his tanks on his own people without so much as a 'whoops'. Still the next time the U.S or Israel accidentally smoke 40 cigarette smugglers in one day we can road test your theory.