Turkey: HDP's district head spreads terror propaganda

By Enes Canli

ANKARA (AA) - One of the district head of Turkey's opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been using fake photos to spread dark propaganda over country's counter-terrorism operation in northern Syria.

Refai Baran, HDP's district head of Bismil in southeastern province of Diyarbakir, shared a distorted photo of a kneeling Turkish soldier who is wearing his helmet with Turkish flag figure on it, along with a manipulating text in his social media account, as if the photo was taken during Turkey's anti-terror Operation Peace Spring.

But the original photo was taken during a training provided by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for the Pakistani army.

Baran also shared in his social media account another photo of an injured child suffering in bandages on a hospital bed as if it was taken during the operation.

But in reality, the photo was taken during the Syrian civil war and had been published in another media platform in November 2017.

Baran was arrested in January 2018 on allegations of making dark propaganda via his social media posts promoting terrorist organization YPG/PKK during the Olive Branch Operation of Turkey, but he was later released.

On Oct. 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

On Oct. 17, a U.S. delegation headed by Vice President Mike Pence paid a working visit to the capital Ankara, where they met Erdogan and discussed Turkey's anti-terror operation.

Following the meeting, the two sides reached a 13-article agreement on northeastern Syria.

As part of the deal, Turkey paused its anti-terror push east of the Euphrates River for 120 hours to allow the withdrawal of terrorist PKK and its Syrian offshoot YPG/PKK from the planned safe zone.

The pause for the anti-terror operation will end Tuesday night.

Ankara and the U.S. also agreed on a 32-kilometer (20-mile) safe zone south of the Turkish border in Syria, where Turkey wants to accommodate more than three million refugees it is currently hosting.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union -- has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

* Writing by Havva Kara Aydin