HDP co-chair Demirtaş calls on youth to fight ISIL

DİYARBAKIR

Selahattin Demirtaş has called on 'all young people' to fight against ISIL. AA Photo

The co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş, has called on "all young people" to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

“I’m making a call for defense on the battlefront to all young people. Today, human dignity is being defended. The youth, including Turks, Kurds, Alevis and Sunnis, should resist the barbaric actions of ISIL,” Demirtaş said Sept. 19, following the militant group’s advance toward Kobane.

The HDP co-chair also urged the government to change its attitude toward ISIL, suggesting that the fall of Kobane would harm not only Kurds, but also the whole of Turkey.

“Kurds are not just defending Kobane. They are defending but the whole region, including Turkey. Everyone should know that Istanbul is also among ISIL’s targets. Those who remain silent today could regret it tomorrow,” Demirtaş said, mentioning plans to hold meetings with U.S. officials in Washington next week.