ANKARA
Turkey is facing a "conscious, malicious and planned" escalation of terrorist attacks since the June 7 election, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday.
Addressing the Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group meeting, Davutoglu said that a total of 657 terrorist acts took place in Turkey. Moreover, at least 52 people, including 11 security personnel were killed and 204 people, including 94 security officials were injured since June 7.
"Three terrorist organizations Daesh, the PKK and the DHKP-C have started simultaneous attacks on Turkey," he said.
The attacks are aimed at Turkey's democracy, public safety and international reputation, he added.
"Although these terrorist organizations are feeding from various sources, they are subservient to centers of evil that are united around a shared goal," Davutoglu said.
The premier also slammed political parties, especially the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) which allegedly ignored his call for signing a joint declaration against terrorism after the deadly bomb attack in the southern town of Suruc.
"HDP avoided to sign a joint declaration. Can we be sure that those who did not even condemn [the attacks] are fighting against terrorism?" Davutoglu asked.
Referring to the HDP, he said: "Everyone must reveal their clear position. When they condemn the PKK terror as they condemn the Daesh terror, we can respond to their calls, and sit and talk."
Davutoglu added that whoever takes a clear position on terrorism, the doors to cooperation would be opened to them.
The premier also thanked the countries and international cooperation who supported Turkey and condemned the attacks on its soil.
Turkey: HDP 'used' to kill off Kurdish solution process
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party has been duped by enemies of the country’s solution process to end conflict between Ankara and the Kurdish population.
This was the claim made by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan on Wednesday who said that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) had been “used” to finish off the solution process between government and the illegal Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Akdogan told Anadolu Agency’s Editor’s Desk that “supporters of the status quo” had manipulated the HDP into shoving aside Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader currently in a Turkish prison.
The HDP – which recently won 80 seats in Turkey’s June 7 general election – has been accused of harboring links to the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and European Union.
Akdogan also accused the HDP of delaying a call by Ocalan for the PKK to lay down its arms for three weeks.
Kurdish leader wants return of ‘peace process’
A leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party has said that the country should “immediately” return to the ‘solution process’ amid worsening violence between Kurdish militants and the security forces.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara on Wednesday, the co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas said: “This country’s children are losing their lives. Our young people are dying. Soldiers, police, guerillas, civilians: all of them are people of this society, our brothers.”
The solution process to end the 30-year conflict between Turkey and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) insurgents began in 2013; in February this year senior government ministers met with HDP leaders officially for the first time.
Last week, Turkey launched airstrikes against Daesh targets in Syria and Kurdish camps in Iraq. Turkey has been hit by violence since a suicide bomb attack by a suspected Daesh supporter killed 32 activists in Suruc on July 20.
More than 1,000 suspected Daesh, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) supporters have been arrested since July 24.
