04.07.2025 01:31
The Presidency of Communications announced that the claims regarding the forest fires in İzmir, Manisa, and Hatay being attributed to the terrorist organization PKK are disinformation. The statement included the following: "These contents are examples of disinformation that have been distorted in context, are outdated, and have been deliberately disseminated."
The Disinformation Combat Center (DMM) stated, "Some social media users are sharing claims that the forest fires in İzmir, Manisa, and Hatay are being claimed by a group allegedly linked to the PKK. These contents are examples of disinformation that have been distorted in context, are outdated, and are deliberately disseminated."
The Presidency's Communication Directorate Disinformation Combat Center responded to the 'terror organization' claims regarding the forest fires that have erupted in many parts of Turkey.
"THEY ARE DELIBERATE DISINFORMATION EXAMPLES"
In a written statement made from DMM's social media account, it was stated, "Some social media users are sharing claims that the forest fires in İzmir, Manisa, and Hatay are being claimed by a group allegedly linked to the PKK. These contents are examples of disinformation that have been distorted in context, are outdated, and are deliberately disseminated."
"SABOTAGE POSSIBILITIES ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION"
The statement also said: "Producing provocation through forest fires, targeting state institutions while disasters that are still being brought under control are ongoing, and making irresponsible statements that would panic the public is an attitude that is absolutely unacceptable in the public conscience and in the eyes of the law. As a result of open-source investigations, it is clearly understood that the visual and text cited as the basis for these claims were taken from an illegal site called Nuçe Ciwan, which propagates terrorism, dated October 10, 2020; and that the shared contents have no relation to the current fires.
Our state operates on the principle of zero tolerance in the fight against terrorism; it is investigating all sabotage possibilities, including forest fires, with sensitivity. However, turning unfounded claims into political material is a disinformation practice that is as dangerous as the fires themselves. We invite our citizens to question the reliability of the source in the contents they encounter on social media, to verify the date and context of the shared visuals, and to evaluate the shares made outside of official institutional statements with caution.