Governors from eastern, southeastern Turkish provinces called to Ankara for security meeting

ANKARA

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Governors from a total of 22 provinces in the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey have been called to the capital Ankara for a security meeting. The call came from the Turkish Interior Ministry, Anadolu Agency reported on Sept. 18. 

Governors from the eastern and southeastern provinces of Adıyaman, Ağrı, Ardahan, Batman, Bitlis, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Iğdır, Kars, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Mardin, Muş, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tunceli and Van were called to the meeting held under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu. 

In addition to the governors and the minister, Deputy Interior Minister Sebahattin Öztürk, Interior Minister Undersecretary Muhterem İnce, Turkish Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Yaşar Güler, Turkish Police Chief Selami Altınok, Public Order and Security (KDGM) Undersecretary Muhammed Dervişoğlu, Migration Management Director General Atilla Toros and General Directorate of Civil Registration and Nationality General Director Ahmet Sarıcan participated in the meeting, as well as high-level security officials. 

The meeting started at around 10 a.m. and was closed to the public. It started with a speech from Soylu and continued with briefings from related institutions regarding counter-terrorism. 

The ongoing security operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the eastern and southeastern regions were discussed during the meeting, as well as the struggle against other groups listed as terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Violence in Turkey’s east and southeast has flared up in recent months, with the PKK increasing its attacks. Security operations in a number of provinces have been ongoing with aerial support.