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Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan called for a “national
mobilization against all terrorist organizations” on Dec. 14 during a speech to
neighborhood heads at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
“As the leader of the Republic of Turkey,
according to Article 104 of our constitution, I declare a national mobilization
against the PKK [the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party], DEASH [an Arabic abbreviation of the Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant], FETÖ [the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization], DHKP-C [the
outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front] and all other terrorist
organizations, whatever their names, arguments or methods,” Erdoğan said.
“We cannot leave our security solely in the hands
of the security forces. I am calling on all my citizens to help our security
forces,” he added.
“Whoever has information about the activities of
these organizations should immediately inform our security forces,” the
president said.
Erdoğan also again claimed that dark external
forces were acting against Turkey’s interests.
“As we are facing the greatest attacks in our
history through the acts of these terrorist organizations, it is our right to
retaliate,” he said.
He noted that a total of 1,178 people have been
killed during the fight with the PKK since July 20, 2015,
while around 330 people have been killed in ISIL attacks and 248 were killed
during the July 15 failed coup attempt.
Erdoğan said 17 soldiers had been killed in the
Euphrates Shield Operation, which was launched on Aug. 20 in northern Syria to
clear Turkey’s borders of ISIL and the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units
(YPG).
“However, the PKK’s losses in our domestic and
foreign operations has reached 9,500. There have been 40,000 detentions and
10,500 arrests made in operations targeting their structures. ISIL’s loss is at
a total of 1,800, and the number of arrests in operations against FETÖ has
passed 40,000,” he added, while urging the security forces to take “harsh
measures against terrorist organizations.”
“Your state and your nation are all supporting you
in your fight against terrorist organizations. Never hesitate to implement your
authority. I want our security forces to strongly fight within the framework of
the law,” Erdoğan said.
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