MİT issues second denial of intelligence blunder

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan. AA photo

The National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has issued a second, detailed statement strongly denying reports it supplied the faulty intelligence prompting the bombing of civilians mistaken for militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

Without mentioning him by name, the statement said Mehmet Baransu of the daily Taraf continued to report MİT was responsible and that he was seeking to back up his “fabrications” by citing “reports on [PKK] activity at the border leaked to him, which had nothing to do with the operation that led to the deaths of 35 people.”  

Only one of the intelligence reports Taraf cited pertained to the Uludere area, but it did not contain any information about an expected infiltration attempt, the statement said. Media outlets had claimed MİT provided intelligence to the military resulting in an air strike that killed 35 villagers and injured another Dec. 28.