TURKS SUSPECT ISRAELI ROLE IN PKK ATTACK ON NAVAL BASE AT ISKENDERUNHours before the deadly Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara and other ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, an assault on Turkey's Iskenderun Naval Base left seven servicemen killed and six injured (Firat, May 31; Today's Zaman, June 6). Though earlier reports indicated the attack was on the naval installation, Hatay Governor Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz said later that PKK members fired on a military vehicle carrying troops to sentry posts with RPG-7 grenade launchers and "long-range weapons" (TurkishPress.com, May 31). Iskenderun Naval Base is located in the Hatay province of southern Turkey on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The base hosts the largest of Turkey's three naval training centers. Iskenderun is well outside the usual range of PKK military attacks, though the group has carried out terrorist bombings throughout Turkey.The deadly attack at Iskenderun came shortly after midnight, on the morning of May 31. A few hours later, Israeli commandos boarded six ships carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza in international waters, killing nine and injuring dozens more. All of the casualties were Turks, and the news of the event sparked large protests throughout the nation. Inevitably, news of the fatal attack on Iskenderun looked to many Turks like two sides of the same coin. The feeling was reflected at top levels across the political board; AKP Deputy Chairman Huseyin Celik remarked:"We do not think that it is a coincidence that these two attacks took place at the same time" (Today's Zaman, June 2).After expressing regret over the losses at Iskenderun, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu stated, "At a time when the Israeli army continues military operations, it is meaningful that such an incident took place in Turkey" (Today's Zaman, June 2).Turkish intelligence agencies are reported to be investigating any links between the raid on the flotilla and the attack on the naval base (Today's Zaman, June 6). Funerals of the dead servicemen across Turkey were attended by prominent government officials and large numbers of mourners carrying flags and shouting slogans (Hurriyet, June 1).
Continue reading Just how Islamo-paranoid is the new (old-old) Turkey?.
1 comment:
It seems to me that conspiracy theories devoid of any real evidence that are usually centered around absolving the Mohammedan world of any guilt or responsibility for it's actions are integral to the Mohammedan mind.
That might be a run on sentence?
Post a Comment