Uludere incident case to be reopened after coup attempt: Turkish energy minister

ANKARA

The case on the Uludere incident, which led to the killing of 34 civilians in southeast Turkey in December 2011, will be reinvestigated, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak has said, while commenting on the failed coup attempt of July 15.

A total of 34 civilians, who were allegedly mistaken for outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants while smuggling goods into Turkey, were killed on Dec. 28, 2011, in attacks carried out by F-16s and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“I think the Uludere and Russian jet incidents will be reinvestigated,” Albayrak told Turkish broadcaster Habertürk, referring to the downing of the Russian jet on Nov. 24, 2015 on the Syrian border.

The two pilots who downed the plane were detained over links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government believes masterminded the failed coup bid.

Saying that what happened on July 15 caused “new questions” on the Uludere and Russian jet incidents, Albayrak said prosecutors would reexamine the Air Force’s actions in both cases.

Akın Öztürk, a former air force chief already arrested as one of the key suspects, was the Chief of the Turkish Air Staff when the Uludere incident took place.