Erdogan urges nation to mobilize against terrorism

By Burcu Arik

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged people to mobilize against all terror groups across Turkey after Saturday's deadly PKK bombings that left 44 people dead and dozens of others wounded in Istanbul.

Addressing village heads called mukhtars at the presidential complex in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan said: "No terrorist in the mountains or in the city or their supporters will be able to find peace.

"I am calling on each citizen as the head of the state under Article 104 of the Constitution, I am urging the nation to mobilize against all terror groups, whether it is the PKK, Daesh, FETO, DHKP-C."

On Saturday, at around 10.30 p.m. (1930GMT), a car bomb went off outside a football stadium in Istanbul's Besiktas district, two hours after the end of a Turkish League football match. Minutes later, a suicide bomb attack occurred in Macka Park in the same neighborhood. The majority of victims among the 44 dead were police personnel.

The PKK organization has so far martyred 843 Turkish security personnel and 335 civilians since July 2015, Erdogan said. Also, 9,500 PKK terrorists have been killed, injured or captured since the start of anti-terror operations in July, he added.

The president said more than 40,000 people linked to the group had been detained so far while over 10,500 people were remanded in custody.

"We do not have a country other than the Republic of Turkey. Everyone should know we will not allow anyone to take anything away from our country," he said.

PKK is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the EU, and the U.S.