Turkish opposition criticizes Erdogan over PKK remarks

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's opposition leader on Wednesday criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his remarks on the PKK terror group's killing of 13 Turkish citizens last weekend.

"Those who run the state should not call our children abducted by [PKK] terrorist organization captives. The president of this country should not call our abducted and kidnapped children captives. The head of the state should not use the word 'captive' for the heroes of this country," Meral Aksener, the leader of Good (IYI) Party, told her party's parliamentary group.

Aksener said that foreign countries, including the US and Israel, have never used the word "captives" for their citizens who are kidnapped by a terrorist organization.

"There is a reason for this. A captive is a detainee who has been captured in a war. Turkey is not in at war. Turkey has been fighting terrorism," she noted.

The bodies of 13 Turkish citizens were found during an anti-terrorist operation launched last week in northern Iraq.

Turkish forces launched Operation Claw-Eagle 2 on Feb. 10 to prevent the PKK and other terror groups from re-establishing positions used to carry out cross-border terror attacks on Turkey.

The IYI Party leader also said that they wanted to know the reason for "the unsuccessful operation" in Gara, northern Iraq.

"We would like to understand why our heroes, who had silently floated into much worse hells and confidently gotten out by overcoming terrorists, this time faced such a result?" asked Aksener.

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