Silent Drama In Mosul

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces invaded Turkey's Consulate General in Mosul, Iraq, on June 11, one day after they entered the city. It has been 37 days now since 49 Turkish people were taken hostage. Why were they kidnapped? We do not know. Where and how they are being held? This is unclear. When will they be released? It is forbidden to ask. This is called a silent drama.

The first signal of this grave development was a message written by Faruk Deniz, the vice consul. On June 6, he wrote on Twitter: “There are ongoing clashes between ISIL and Iraqi forces; may Allah give the people in Mosul patience.” And the next day, he wrote: “ISIL defines the Iraqi troops it has killed in Mosul as Safavid troops; it is important to note, as it reflects their perspective.” In a message he posted on July 8, it seems he sensed the danger that was coming: “Sunday is my first day at work and this thing called ISIL is depriving me of my sleep.”

Mosul Governor Atheel al-Nujaifi was also aware of the coming danger. When ISIL entered the city, he hid in different parts of the city to avoid confrontation and then fled to Arbil. The governor had been in touch with Consul General Öztürk Yılmaz. He told Al Jazeera Turk: “We had a phone conversation one day before the fall of Mosul. I asked him to tell Ankara that the situation was very bad there. Even though I told him that the situation was going bad, he responded by saying that Turkey should not retreat from Mosul at such a delicate time. They trusted the Iraqi army stationed at the Mosul airport, which was pretty close to them, and the joint operational forces. Come what may, they were confident that ISIL would not be able to take control of their area.” In fact, Yılmaz also noticed the risk and the danger; he destroyed the computers and confidential documents; but for some reason, he did not leave the building. From what journalist Murat Sabuncu wrote, we can see that Ankara sensed the danger and had been informed about the situation three days before the raid.

Well, what was the approach of the Foreign Ministry and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to the issue? Davutoğlu, who was traveling to New York for a meeting on the day ISIL invaded Mosul, wrote on Twitter 24 hours before the raid: “The proper measures have been taken for the security of our consulate general in Mosul. I thank the diplomatic staff and security forces in our consulate in Mosul for their dignified stance.”

This message, delivered despite serious warnings from Mosul and Ankara and recommendations for evacuation, was a sign of self-confidence; however, Davutoğlu had to confront grave criticism when the consulate was raided shortly after posting this message. When the consulate fell under ISIL's control, Davutoğlu decided to return Turkey immediately. On his way back, he told the journalists in New York: “No one should dare test Turkey's might and power. Any harm to our citizens will be met with a severe response.”

However, the information that Sabuncu revealed, and which Aydıntaşbaş confirmed via her sources, said something different. It was said that Davutoğlu responded to MİT's suggestion of an evacuation by saying that the Turkish flag should remain there.

The truth will be revealed eventually, but the result is obvious: 49 members of the diplomatic corps and consulate staff have been held hostage by ISIL for 37 days. The relatives of the hostages, who have been hearing the same thing repeated by government officials, are getting impatient. They have many concerns on their minds, including the worry that their relatives may be murdered or used as human shields.

The crisis management unit in the ministry is working tirelessly to rescue the hostages, but Turkey's hands are tied vis-à-vis the massacres committed by ISIL of Kurds and Turkmens. In addition, there is growing criticism and allegations that Ankara once supported this organization. Erdoğan's call for this group, which has mercilessly cut off people's heads, “Release the hostages if you are believers,” surprised many and shows that no significant progress has been made.

The immediate issue is to rescue the hostages. However, it is a huge scandal that the consulate was not evacuated in a city where even the governor was not safe. The unresolved matters remain unattended and unaddressed because of a broadcast ban on the subject which would never be seen in a democratic country experiencing a similar problem. However, we should, of course, pray for the safety of the hostages and hope that they will celebrate the coming eid in their homes.

ABDULHAMİT BİLİCİ (Cihan/Today's Zaman)