20.09.2012 11:20
News of another devastating act of terrorism came from Bingöl, where nine soldiers were killed and 70 others injured after terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacked a military convoy with rocket launchers on Tuesday."We are"...
MERVE BÜŞRA ÖZTÜRK
News of another devastating act of terrorism came from Bingöl, where nine soldiers were killed and 70 others injured after terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacked a military convoy with rocket launchers on Tuesday.
"We are going through a horrible summer. Blood is everywhere in the country," complains Taraf's Ahmet Altan. And he notes that unless solid and effective steps are taken in relation to the terrorism problem, the number of deaths will only increase. The latest attack in Bingöl raises many questions, Altan says. First of all, why were buses carrying 200 unarmed soldiers traveling in a province where two attacks recently occurred and at a time when violence in the country has reached its highest level? Why were they going by bus instead of helicopter? Also, how did the terrorists know the soldiers were using that road at that time? From what source did they receive this intelligence? Which country is supporting the terrorists at this time? How will all of these questions be answered?
The prime minister wants no questions to be asked about the army's mistakes, but those mistakes certainly shake his authority and credibility and every person that dies weakens him and his government, Altan writes.
Sabah's Nazlı Ilıcak also believes that although there has always been a sharp increase in the PKK's attacks when winter approaches as the terrorists have to return to their hideouts due to poor weather conditions, Turkey's deteriorating relations with Syria and Iran must have surely fed the escalating violence.
Radikal's Eyüp Can, on the other hand, focuses on the recent debates over a media blackout, centering on whether or not the media should give wide coverage to every recent terrorist attack so as to avoid possible terrorist propaganda. Politicians suggest there should be a blackout, but terrorism is not a new problem in our country; it has existed for more than three decades and it is not something that will end if newspapers ignore it. During former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's rule, a blackout on terrorist events was launched in the media, but neither did the acts of terrorism end nor could a proper blackout be enforced despite the government's best attempts and threats. And can a blackout that could not be achieved in the 1980s be achieved in the social media era of the 2010s? Exploiting violence and terrorism is unacceptable, but there is a huge difference between propagandizing terrorism and burying one's head in the sand in the face of terrorist acts, Can concludes.