Erdoğan's communications director targets HDP over killings of security personnel in Iraq

Photo: AA/File

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Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun continued targeting the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) after the killing of 13 hostages held by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

After the killings were announced by the defense minister on Sunday (February 14), Altun wrote on Twitter, "HDP means PKK. HDP is a political puppet that acts upon orders it gets from PKK. we have seen this reality once again today."

A military rescue operation launched on February 10 resulted in the deaths of all 13 hostages, 10 of whom have been identified as police and military officers, and three soldiers participated in the operation.

The HDP said it had called for a solution to the hostage problem and criticized the government for not choosing "diplomatic methods," which it said proved to be working in similar incidents before.

Also, criminal investigations for "terrorist propaganda" and other offenses were opened against two HDP lawmakers, Hüda Kaya and Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, after they expressed similar thoughts on Twitter.

In a tweet yesterday, the HDP said, "No one can clean the bloodshed and tears they caused by maligning HDP. Maligning our party, which got six million votes, is beyond the depth of the palace's highly paid media trustee Fahrettin Altun. The public has the right to know the truth. You will be held accountable."

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In response, Altun posted several tweets, accusing the HDP of "surrendering itself to the PKK's plans to divide the country."

"Our nation will hold you accountable for our martyrs. Not only you but those who walk with you. It's my primary duty to fight a center of evil that is controlled by the PKK," he wrote. "Your threats only strengthen us. We won't let you divide this country. To death, to death!"

After this tweet, MPs Gergerlioğlu and Kaya shared video messages on their accounts.

Kaya repeated that similar incidents were previously solved by the initiatives of NGOs and political parties and said: "While the AKP government has not taken a single step for this, it also accused and prevented those who want to do that."

She said she strongly condemned whoever is responsible for the deaths and they should be held accountable.

Gergerlioğlu said, "We are very sorry. We have been saying 'peace' and nothing else for years. Our wish is that problems will be solved not with weapons but with peace.

"But now, campaigns are started against us because we expressed the naked truth and we are portrayed as if we are culpable. No, we say that all of our citizens should live fairly and peacefully." (PT/VK)