Top Turkish commander Büyükanit: Military operation into northern Iraq necessary
Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt yesterday asked for government approval to launch a military operation into northern Iraq to fight outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists, whom he said were accelerating their terror attacks in Turkey.
"An operation into Iraq is necessary," Büyükanıt said. "Would it be useful? Yes, it would. But there needs to be a political decision [for this operation to take place]."
From a military point of view, a (military) operation in northern Iraq must be made, Büyükanıt told a rare news conference, adding that a political decision from the government was first required to authorize such a step.
Holding his first press conference, lasting almost one-and-a-half hours, since taking office almost eight months ago, Büyükanıt attempted to address the latest developments such as PKK terror and leaked documents recently run by political weekly magazine Nokta, which unearthed a memorandum that classified Turkish press members as pro-military and anti-military as well as diaries said to have belonged to former Navy Commander Adm. Özden Örnek that revealed two failed coup attempts organized by the top commanders of the military.
Gen. Büyükanıt described the leaking of the memo -- and confirmed that a noncommissioned officer had been arrested for its theft and then released on bail -- as well as diaries, the existence of which Örnek himself earlier had denied, as attempts to warn the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
The press conference, filled by accredited journalists -- though Büyükanıt during the same press conference criticized such discrimination among journalists -- was aired live and attended by all commanders.
Büyükanıt described the president that the TSK would like to see, since this president will also be Turkey's commander in chief, as someone who should abide by the Turkish Republic's unchangeable principles such as integrity and a secular character not only in words but also in deed.
Büyükanıt's press conference came soon after an interview given by former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök to the Anatolia news agency during which he neither denied nor confirmed the diaries said to be have belonged to retired Adm. Örnek while throwing the ball into the court of the judicial system.
Özkök was chief of general staff when the alleged coup attempts took place. In the diary Örnek accused Özkök of acting passively against the government and said the planned steps could not be put into motion because of a lack of support from Özkök, who was also described as close to the Islamists in Örnek's diaries.
"An operation into Iraq is necessary," Büyükanıt said. "Would it be useful? Yes, it would. But there needs to be a political decision [for this operation to take place]."
From a military point of view, a (military) operation in northern Iraq must be made, Büyükanıt told a rare news conference, adding that a political decision from the government was first required to authorize such a step.
Holding his first press conference, lasting almost one-and-a-half hours, since taking office almost eight months ago, Büyükanıt attempted to address the latest developments such as PKK terror and leaked documents recently run by political weekly magazine Nokta, which unearthed a memorandum that classified Turkish press members as pro-military and anti-military as well as diaries said to have belonged to former Navy Commander Adm. Özden Örnek that revealed two failed coup attempts organized by the top commanders of the military.
Gen. Büyükanıt described the leaking of the memo -- and confirmed that a noncommissioned officer had been arrested for its theft and then released on bail -- as well as diaries, the existence of which Örnek himself earlier had denied, as attempts to warn the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
The press conference, filled by accredited journalists -- though Büyükanıt during the same press conference criticized such discrimination among journalists -- was aired live and attended by all commanders.
Büyükanıt described the president that the TSK would like to see, since this president will also be Turkey's commander in chief, as someone who should abide by the Turkish Republic's unchangeable principles such as integrity and a secular character not only in words but also in deed.
Büyükanıt's press conference came soon after an interview given by former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök to the Anatolia news agency during which he neither denied nor confirmed the diaries said to be have belonged to retired Adm. Örnek while throwing the ball into the court of the judicial system.
Özkök was chief of general staff when the alleged coup attempts took place. In the diary Örnek accused Özkök of acting passively against the government and said the planned steps could not be put into motion because of a lack of support from Özkök, who was also described as close to the Islamists in Örnek's diaries.
posted by Aydın UZUNBOY at
3:53 PM
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