Greek attack on Turkish ship an 'eclipse of reason'

By Sarp Ozer and Merve Yildizalp

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s defense minister has described Monday’s attack on a Turkish ship by Greek coast guards as an “eclipse of reason”.

“No sense, reason or intelligence can explain opening fire on a commercial ship sailing in international waters,” Fikri Isik told broadcaster TRT News on Tuesday.

On Monday, a Greek coast guard ship opened fire on a Turkish vessel in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Rhodes in international waters.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the M/V ACT was carrying dry cargo from Iskenderun port in southern Turkey to Izmit in northwestern Turkey when it came under attack from a Greek coast guard craft.

The commercial ship later docked at Marmaris port in southwestern Turkey after it was escorted by three Turkish coast guard vessels and an assault craft.

After the ship docked, Nihat Ozturk, the local lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, inspected the vessel and found it riddled with bullet marks.

Ozturk told reporters the ship, carrying 13 crew, had more than 20 bullet marks.

Meanwhile, Isik also told TRT News that members of the armed forces suspected of links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which Turkey accuses of orchestrating last year's attempted coup, would be axed.

“There will be some more dismissals in near future. We will have no pity on anyone whom we confirm as having a connection with FETO,” he said.

According to the Turkish government, FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen arranged the July 15 defeated coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.