NEWS CENTER - President of the AKP, Tayyip Erdogan, said about the use of chemical weapons: "Our Armed Forces have not had any negligence to use chemical weapons until now." However, documents and findings from the past years refutes Erdogan's claim.

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, from the AKP, answered questions about the developments on the plane on his return from his visit to Azerbaijan. Erdogan said: "The child is very important, we want more children. The PKK has 5, 10, 15 children. I always openly say at least 3 children anyway. This is not a secret policy of mine. I have never concealed such a thing anyway. What I said there is very clear, but their abuse does not end."

 

ERDOĞAN'S CLAIM

 

Erdoğan was also asked about the chemical weapons used by Turkey in the Zap and Avaşîn regions of the Federated Kurdistan Region. Erdogan denied the use of chemical weapons and claimed that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has not used chemical weapons until today. Targeting those who made statements about the use of chemical weapons, Erdoğan said: "Friends immediately opened lawsuits and we will definitely not let go of this. We will pursue it by filing both compensation and heavy criminal cases. Our Armed Forces have not had any reluctance to use chemical weapons to date. They have taken all the steps they have taken within the framework of whatever international law requires and will continue to do so within this framework. This is not the first time they are slandering our army."

 

TURKEY'S HISTORY OF USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS

 

However, many documents that emerged in the past period refute Erdoğan. Turkey has come to the fore with the use of chemical weapons many times in history. In the 1938 Dersim Massacre, in which tens of thousands of people were massacred, Turkey violated the agreements it signed by using chemical weapons. The use of chemical weapons continued after the Dersim Massacre. On May 17, 1994, a total of 28 people, 22 of whom were private course students, were killed with chemical weapons on Adıyaman Bêzar Mountain. In 1999, 20 PKK members lost their lives as a result of chemical gas in the Bilika village of Şırnak. As a result of the examination carried out in the laboratory in Germany, it was revealed that the gas used in the massacre was a lethal chemical gas. In 2009, 8 PKK members died in the Çukurca district of Hakkari as a result of the use of chemical weapons.

 

KAZAN VALLEY

 

In 2011, chemical weapons were used once again in Çukurca. During the bombardment in Kazan Valley between 22-24 October 2011, 36 HPG soldiers lost their lives. National and international delegations to the scene encountered burnt and shattered bodies. All of the findings and determinations were that HPG members were killed as a result of chemical weapons attack. However, the findings here could not be addressed by independent committees.

 

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA

 

Turkey and its affiliated paramilitary groups used prohibited weapons in attacks on Northern and Eastern Syrian cities. It was stated that Turkey used chemical weapons in a village in Afrin, where it carried out an operation with paramilitary groups in 2018, and 6 people lost their lives due to this attack.

 

On October 9, 2019, footage emerged showing that he used chemical weapons in the operation against Serêkaniyê. The issue, announced by the Autonomous Administration, also entered the agenda of the international public. The burning of the whole body of a 13-year-old child, Mihemed Hemide, in Serêkaniyê, due to a phosphorus bomb, received wide coverage in the world press.

 

GARÊ, ZAP, AVAŞİN, METİNA

 

The use of chemical weapons came to the fore in the attacks launched by Turkey against the Federated Kurdistan Region after 2018. It was stated that banned weapons were used in the "hostage rescue operation" against Garê, which took place between 10-14 February 2021. Making a statement on the subject, HPG asked independent committees to conduct an investigation in the region.

 

THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS USED 2 THOUSAND 467 TIMES

 

The use of chemical weapons never fell on the agenda in the attacks on Zap, Metîna and Avaşîn regions, which started on April 17 and left its 6th month behind. In the 6-month balance sheet announced by HPG regarding the attacks, it was noted that between April 14 and October 14, Turkey used banned bombs and chemical weapons 2,467 times. It was stated in the statement that tactical nuclear, thermobaric and phosphorus bombs were used, and as a result of the use of chemical weapons in August, September and October, 9 HPG fighters lost their lives in Zap's Şikefta Birîndara area, 5 HPG members in the Karker area and 3 HPG members in Avaşîn's Werxelê area.

 

TURKEY ALWAYS DENIED

 

Turkey has preferred to remain silent many times regarding the chemical weapons experienced until today. Despite the images, Turkey contented itself with denying the attacks in the Kazan Valley and Northern and Eastern Syria. It did not make any statement regarding the allegations of chemical weapons in the Federated Kurdistan Region.

 

CHEMICAL FINDINGS IN THE REPORTS

 

The General Staff made a statement after the incident in Kazan Valley, "We do not have chemical weapons in our inventory". However, in the report "Sunshine Project Country Reviews No. 3 A Review on Research on Biological and Biochemical Weapons in Turkey" published on December 6, 2004, it was revealed that this was not true, with many information and documents.