New regulation for armed forces on the way

ANKARA

A new period is beginning in the Turkish Armed Forces’ fight against terror, as the Turkish General Staff, the Interior Ministry and the Prime Ministry are working on a new legal regulation which will protect soldiers from any future charges and give special authorization to the armed forces during anti-terror operations, according to information obtained by CNNTürk. 

The regulation aims to enable the armed forces to fight in the most effective way in the anti-terror operations, overseeing the security-freedom balance. With the regulation, the armed forces will be authorized in a way similar to the cross-border operation permits and the trial of soldiers will be dependent on the approval of related ministries. 

The draft regulation is expected to include the statement: “The General Staff, with the cabinet’s decision and the Prime Minister’s direction, is authorized to conduct fighting in [to be identified] time period, with [to be identified] methods and in [to be identified] regions when faced with a terror threat.”   

The regulation would enable this authorization against a terror threat to be abolished by the political authority whenever it wanted. 

The other dimension of the regulation is security. According to the draft, protection will be provided for soldiers against any future charges which might be committed during the fight against terror. For the following years, the draft aims to authorize the Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry for investigation permits against soldiers who may be charged.