Turkish party leader in 'destroy terrorists' call

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA

A Turkish opposition leader has called for the military to “destroy killer terrorist organizations” in northern Syria.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said he supported the government in the fight against terrorism.

In a news conference at his party’s headquarters in Ankara, Bahceli addressed the Turkish army operating in Syria, saying: "I tell our heroes: Find all killer terrorist organizations [in the region] and destroy them.”

“We are on your side and will back you up to the end," he added.

Bahceli said Turkey was carrying out a cross-border operation in a difficult period, adding that the terrorist PYD, YPG and PKK groups were as much a danger to Turkey as Daesh.

The MHP leader also slammed the United States for viewing Daesh as a joint enemy but backing the PYD, describing the position as "irresponsibility, unlawfulness and at the same time, shamelessness".

He also hit out at the U.S. for an ongoing delay in extraditing Fetullah Gulen to Turkey.

The Turkish military and anti-Daesh coalition air forces launched operations in northern Syria to clear the group from Jarabulus last Wednesday.

Since January, rocket attacks on the Turkish province of Kilis from Daesh-held territory in Syria have killed at least 21 people, while terrorist attacks in Gaziantep blamed on Daesh include a suicide bombing of a wedding that killed 54 people and a car bomb attack in May that martyred two police officers.

Meanwhile, the PYD -- which controls a swathe of northern Syria along the Turkish border -- has been accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing in areas under its control, arbitrarily detaining political opponents and forcing civilians to fight. The group is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group that has waged war on Turkey since 1984.