Turkey mulls dissolving village guard system as two more charged

Masked gunmen armed with assault rifles attacked the engagement party in the southeastern

A Turkish court charged two more suspects Thursday, bringing to 10 the number of arrests over the engagement party gun attack, in which the death toll included the bride, the groom, his parents and 4-year-old sister, as well as three pregnant women.

Officials have said some of the suspects charged were members of state-supported "village guard" units.

The authorities are also investigating several state-issued village guard guns, and two unlicensed weapons that were allegedly used in the assault, according to reports.

The village guard system, established in 1985 to protect villages against attacks from the terror organization PKK, could be revised or abolished, broadcaster NTV reported Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek as saying.

"But, we should not make decisions based on reactions," he added.

More than 50,000 village guards operate in the region and all of them should not be categorized in the same way, Cicek also said.

The village guard system could be reviewed if there are flaws and insufficiencies found, Turkish President Abdullah Gul told reporters before his departure for a summit in the Czech capital of Prague.

"A thorough investigation needs to be conducted," he added.

The leader of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, Ahmet Turk, criticized the system, saying "this violence would never have happened had the state not issued them with guns."

A Turkish Parliamentary sub-commission was established under the Human Rights Investigation Commission to conduct a separate inquiry. The sub-commission is expected to be sent to the region next week, the Anatolian Agency said.

LONG-RUNNING DISPUTE

The charged, some of whom were related to the victims, include six brothers and the14-year old son of one of the six, the Anatolian Agency said.

The relatives of those charged started to leave the nearly 300-populated village as gendarmerie forces tighten security measures around their homes after the incident that left 70children orphaned or without at least one parent, reports say.

Interior Minister Besir Atalay said Wednesday security forces had shed light on the attack, but refused to give details. He said "a succession of events over the years" led to the massacre, with "one important reason that accelerated the whole process."

Local villagers spoke of a dispute over land, an unpaid debt and objections to the marriage of the couple, who were also killed in the attack.

A Turkish Parliamentary sub-commission was established under the Human Rights Investigation Commission to conduct a separate inquiry. The sub-commission is expected to be sent to the region next week, the Anatolian Agency said.

late on Monday, killing 44 people, including six children and 16 women, and injuring three others. Mardin of province