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Sat, 16. Sep 2006
The notorious Turkish ultra-nationalist terrorist group Turkish Revenge
Brigade (Turkish: Turk Intikam Tugayi, TIT) claimed on their homepage
responsibility for the bomb attack outside a family park in the Baglar
district of Amed (Diyarbakir) in northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey).
The blast killed seven Kurdish children and three adults. Another 13 people
were wounded, of them two seriously.
The blast occurred around 21:00 (9 p.m. EEST) at a bus stop outside a family
park in Baglar district of Amed (Diyarbakir) ripping through a crowd
consisting of Kurdish families on their way home from the park. A total of
10 Kurds, seven of them children, were killed and thirteen others were
wounded.
The names of the dead are:
* Nazli Çetinkaya and her children Abdullah Çetinkaya (5 months), Nazar
Çetinkaya (2)
* Vahide Demir (33) and her children Mizgin Demir (12), Zilan Demir (8),
Shilan Demir (6 months) and Evin Demir
* Rojhat Aslan
Two other killed in the blast have not yet been identified.
On their website http://turkintikamtugayi.8m.com, the Turkish
ultra-nationalist terrorist group TIT claimed yesterday responsibility for
the blast outside the family park in the Baglar district.
To the great Turkish people. In the recent period in many of the areas of
our country, the bloody PKK terrorist organization has martyred our
soldiers, police officers and our youth. We, as the Turkish Revenge Brigade,
swear on our flag colored red with the blood of our martyrs, that for every
Turk that PKK kills in [western Turkey], we will kill 10 Kurds in
Diyarbakir. [
] Here are photos taken during the preparation for the
operation on September 12, 2006, dedicated to Private Ali Balikci who was
martyred during duty by the PKK terrorist organization in the Eruh district
of Siirt, the statement read. It ends with the slogan, A good Kurd is a
dead Kurd.
A set of pictures were added to the homepage, showing the preparation of the
bomb that was used in the attack. The bomb consisted of a 12-liter blue
termos container, a walkie-talkie relay detonator, an activator, the top of
a metal gas container as a balancing weight that was placed in the bottom of
the termos and a case believed to contain C-4 plastic explosive.
A RUTHLESS GROUP WITH A BLACK HISTORY
The Turkish Revenge Brigade gained fame during the political clashes
between left-wing and right-wing groups in Turkey and Kurdistan in the 70s
and 80s. The group is believed to be responsible for over 1,000 deaths
during that time period.
The group was scattered with the Turkish military takeover on September 12,
1980, and most of its members were arrested during the first sweep by the
Junta. The members were later released and integrated with the Turkish
military intelligence agency JITEM and used in black operations against
Kurdish political and cultural figures during the Kurdish insurgency in the
mid-80s and throughout the 90s. The group has maintained low-profile since
PKKs unilateral ceasefire on September 1, 1998.
TIT is now believed to be one of many subsections of the gang collectively
known as Atabeyler. The Atabeyler gangs existence believed to be an
open secret in the corridors of Ankara was unearthed by the Turkish AKP
administration after an attack on the Turkish Council of State on May 17,
2006. The Turkish judge Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin of the Second Chamber was
killed and four other judges were wounded. The assailant, Alparslan Aslan, a
lawyer with Islamic fundamentalist and Turkish ultra-nationalist sympathies,
was arrested for the murder.
Alparslan Aslans interrogation led to the arrest of several retired and
serving military service men and police officers. The operation was named as
Atabeyler Operation but satisfying results could not be obtained due to
interference by the higher Turkish military echelon who claimed most of the
suspects as their own. A reference in Turkey enough to make anybody an
untouchable.
The Atabeylers aim was to provoke a new military takeover in Turkey.
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Kurdish Party Leader: "We Insist on Peace"
"Those against peace will be uncovered, if they are not protected by the
state" says DTP leader Turk. Funerals held for those killed, protests
recorded, local businesses pull down shutters. Governor's office: The bomb
killing 10 was planted in a thermos.
Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) Chairman Ahmet Turk vows to
continue efforts for peace in Southeast Turkey despite a recent deadly blast
that killed 10 people including 6 children in Diyarbakir.
The explosion that also left behind 15 wounded came a day after Turk issued
a public appeal to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to declare a
unilateral ceasefire as over 200 Turkish and Kurdish intellectuals issued
their own declaration demanding the organization to end all armed
activities.
The DTP, albeit excluded from parliamentary representation due to 10 percent
national election barrier, controls average 40 percent of local vote in
southeast provinces and more than 40 local municipalities
On Monday, Turk had said he was hopeful the PKK would accept the ceasefire
appeal. Thursday, visiting the scene of the explosion, he promised attempts
at provocation would not deter them from seeking peace.
A statement issued by the Diyarbakir Governors Office branded the incident
as an inhuman act of terror and condemned it but noted it was not yet
known who was behind the incident.
The statement said a preliminary investigation showed the explosives were
hidden in a thermos and that a remote detonator device could have been
involved. Some Turkish newspapers said officials believed the explosion
might have occurred while the device was being carried to nearby public
housings hosting army or police personnel and their families.
Only one of the ten bodies has not yet been identified, mainly due it
proximity to the explosives. Believed to be of a man of about 25 years old,
it is being investigated whether he could have been carrying the thermos and
its contents.
There are also reports quoting eye witnesses that a thermos, left nearby,
exploded when chlidren attemted to open.
Provocation, say all
A ceremony held at the scene of incident on Thursday witnessed hundreds of
people laying red carnations to commemorate the dead as funeral ceremonies
for nine of the victims were held during the day.
Both government officials and DTP leaders, as well as Diyarbakirs
Metropolitan Mayor Osman Baydemir appeared to share one view. That the
incident was a provocation and that the people should be careful not to fall
for it.
A statement issued by Turkeys Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu after his
visit to the citys governor promised that those behind the bomb would be
apprehended soon. "Our citizens Aksu said, have enough common sense not to
fall into the ruse of those trying to plant seeds of dissent among them.
DTPs Turk, on the other hand, made a statement at the scene of the carnage
in which he stressed that each bullet fired, every bomb thrown, were bombs
and bullets targeting peace.
'We will always insist on peace he said, adding, "I wholeheartedly share
the grief of the families of those who have died. Such an act in such a
period where searches for peace had concentrated, was perhaps an act
expected by those wanting peace. The Turkish and world public opinion should
know what kind of a game is being played here.
He noted that if the state did not cover-up this incident, the explosion and
many other similar incidents could be uncovered, which would all show who
did not want peace.
Stressing that they would not fall for provocation or return to previous
conditions, Turk said "the people of Diyarbakýr very well know who was
behind the bomb. Clasping together even more strongly for peace, we will
escalate our demands for peace.
Tugluk: We knew provocation could happen
DTP deputy chair Aysel Tugluk on the other hand recalled the DTP ceasefire
appeal in her own speech and claimed that this was a very important appeal.
It was an appeal of historic importance Tugluk said. But we knew that in
this country, the forces that nourish on war, that nourish on blood, could
have carried out provocative actions as always.
Metropolitan Mayor Osman Baydemir agreed that the incident was provocative
in nature and said it was a provocation that wanted to take us to the
1990s, to 91, 92.
Baydemir: How can TIT not be identified?
Referring to initial allegations that the extreme rightwing Turkish Revenge
Brigade (TIT) had claimed responsibility for the bombing, Baydemir said the
TIT had in the past threatened many people.
I myself must have received tens of letters of threats until now. How can
this [organization] not be known, not identified? Who is this TIT? The
public opinion wants an explanation on this.
The Diyarbakir Womens Platform that held a separate press conference on the
incident referred to the explosion as ruthless and said it could not be
justified, no matter who was responsible for it.
Suzan Mehmetoglu, reading a statement for the platform, called on the public
not to fall for provocation and act in common sense.
Funerals held, city tense
Tension in Diyarbakir has escalated since the Baglar explosion as funeral
ceremonies for the dead were conducted in their home towns.
On Thursday, police intervened in several protests involving hundreds of
people inclusive of using tear gas on a large group of demonstrators who
gathered at the incident scene and wanted to march on.
City streets echoed of slogans Murderer [Prime Minister] Erdogan will pay
and Long Live Leader Apo as news spread about the TITs possible
involvement in the attack, to which there was no evidence but for a mockup
temporary web site that was publicly pointed out by a Kurdish news agency.
To protest the incident, Diyarbakirs local businesses closed shutters on
many of the citys streets of high commerce and an even stronger sign of
protest was scene at the city municipality as well as four other local
municipal buildings where white flags were raised for peace accompanied by
black flags of mourning.
The white flags boasted the words Peace Undeterred while the black simply
said We condemn.
TIT under suspicion
The first reference to a possible TIT involvement in the Diyarbakir bombing
came from the pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF) after the incident with a
news report directing attention to a web site allegedly run by the Turkish
Revenge Brigade.
The site, that was removed from existence as swiftly as it appeared, said
the blast which had caused civilian losses had been staged in memory of
Turkish soldier, private Er Ali Balýkcý, who was killed in a clash in Siirt.
The bombing, suggested the site, was a nationalist retaliation. One that
believed in killing Kurds indiscriminately.
Supposedly boasting photographs of the build-up to the incident which
appeared to have been removed "due to high bandwith usage", the site vouched
to "kill 10 Kurds for every Turk that the PKK martyred". It said their oath
was based "on our flag that has been created with the blood of martyrs".
"The Best Kurd, Is a Dead Kurd" the site concluded.
*************************************************************+
Thousands March on the Streets of Diyarbakir Chanting Killer State is
Accountable
Thousands march in front of Kosuyolu Park (where the bombing took place) to
protest the bomb attack that killed 11 people, 7 of them being children.
During the protest the mass chanted Killer State is acccountable, Erdogan
is a Murderer, Long Live Peace, Martyrs Will Not Die, Long Live Ocalan in
Kurdish.
Diyarbakir Municipal Mayor Osman Baydemir made statement, condemning the
attacks and calling on the assailants to be captured immediately.
After cloves were placed at the incident the municipal mayors the road to
Ofis was closed to traffic. The protest was organised by Diyarbakir
Democracy Platform. Due to the demonstration special forces teams and
snipers were placed around the city.
ANF - FIRAT NEWS AGENCY