Turkey can take decisive counter-terrorism measure

/By Azernews/

By Aynur Karimova

Turkey, which has been suffering from terrorism for many years and recently witnessed serial terrorist attacks in its major cities, can take a decisive measure in fight against terrorism.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus announced on April 5 that Ankara can adopt a law, which involves deprivation of citizenship for supporting terrorism, Turkish media reported.

He said that currently, this issue is not on the agenda, but if a necessity appears, the country will adopt such a law.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier assured that Turkey will continue taking all necessary measures to combat terrorism supporters, up to the deprivation of citizenship.

Fight against terrorism is one of the priorities of the Turkish government's policy. Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against IS and allows coalition planes to use its air base at Incirlik for raids on Iraq and Syria.

It has also been carrying out a campaign of bombardment against Syrian Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which it regards as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Ankara has recently accused Western countries of leaving Turkey alone in the fight against terror.

In an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Washington, President Erdogan added that those countries had not met Ankara's expectations for intelligence-sharing.

"We were left alone by Western countries. Our intelligence-sharing expectations were never met," Erdogan said. "Turkey has been calling for a common stance against terrorism, and many of the EU member states seem to have failed to realize the significance that this call for action deserves."

Since last July, over 5,359 PKK members have been eliminated as a result of the operations against this terrorist group. Some 355 Turkish servicemen were killed during these operations, which, according to President Erdogan, will continue until the complete destruction of the PKK.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The UN and the European Union listed the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Kurdish rebels have carried out a series of attacks in the territory of Turkey in recent months, and security forces have raided Kurdish areas, after a ceasefire ended last year.

Last month, a car bomb that exploded in Ankara near a crowded bus stop killed as many as 37 people, 125 more got injured. Istanbul was also targeted by a suicide attack on March 19 leaving five people dead.

In February, a bomb attack on a military convoy in Ankara killed 28 people and wounded dozens more. Also, last October, more than 100 people were killed in a double-suicide bombing at a Kurdish peace rally in Ankara.

Meanwhile, Turkey's National Intelligence Organization has warned of the threat of new terrorist attacks by PKK in the country.

The country's intelligence has information that the militants of the PKK terrorist organization plan terror attacks using suicide bombers in several major cities.

Taking the significance of terror threat in Turkey, the country's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Head Devlet Bahceli has called on the government for more decisive fight against PKK.

The opposition leader believes that within two days, Turkish government should evacuate the civilians from the cities where the PKK is active and carry out crushing strikes on these cities.