Only solidarity can end terror, says PM Davutoğlu in Diyarbakır

DİYARBAKIR - Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said only “solidarity” can defeat terrorism, as the country continues to struggle with acts of terror staged by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“Today I am really happy to see the solidarity and support of the people of Diyarbakır in our struggle against the PKK, because this struggle will only make sense when we come together,” Davutoğlu said during a Sept. 24 visit to Diyarbakır, the largest city in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast. 

Railing against the PKK, Davutoğlu accused the group of carrying out “cowardly terrorist acts” and “villainous traps” rather than “expressing themselves freely in parliament.”

“Today, as a whole nation, we are against those who want to wipe our flag out,” he added. 

Davutoğlu was in Diyarbakır - the scene of several attacks since the PKK renewed its armed campaign in late July - at the start of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. He later returned to Ankara before departing for the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

“We will continue to work to relieve the grief of all the mothers and fathers who have lost their children,” he said, while adding that the government opposed all discrimination against Kurds. 

Along with around 30 civilians, more than 120 members of Turkey’s security forces have been killed in PKK attacks over the last two months, according to official figures.