Turkey conducts anti-terror operations within rule of law: Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

Turkey has always conducted its anti-terror operations within the rule of law and has almost cleared the Turkish territory from terror elements, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on April 9.

“We have always waged the fight against terror within the boundaries of the rule of law, never resorting to inhumane methods. We have reached the current stage of our counterterrorism process, in which we are about to finalize [terror] within our borders, in a dignified manner,” he said, speaking at an iftar dinner with police, gendarmerie and coast guard personnel in Istanbul.

Turkish security forces no longer wait until terrorist organizations attack the country, Erdoğan said, adding, “Rather, we find them in the lairs beyond our borders where they hide, and clamp down on and crush them.”

Erdoğan stated that his government has initiated a new era in the country’s fight against terror as all of the agencies taking part in this fight, particularly the Turkish Armed Forces and the Intelligence Organization, have been working in solidarity like one fist.

Turkey’s achievements in the area of security are not limited solely to the fight against terror and cross-border operations, Erdoğan said.

“We have recently had the greatest achievements of our history in a wide range of areas extending from public order to the fight against drug trafficking, traffic services to the prevention of organized crime and the security of our coasts to international mission activities,” Erdoğan said.

The government has been “reaping the fruits” of the works which the Turkish National Police, the Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard have been conducting in “praiseworthy cooperation and coordination,” the president stressed.

“As a result, Turkey stands out as one of the world’s most peaceful and safest countries despite regional crises, refugee influx and numerous internal and external attempts of provocations,” Erdoğan said.