Ayşe Hümeyra Atılgan
12 September 2016•Update: 17 September 2016
ISTANBUL
Turkey’s prime minister issued a message of unity and solidarity Monday for Eid al-Adha, one of the two most important holidays in the Islamic calendar.
Binali Yildirim attended the early morning prayer of Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, in Istanbul's Marmara University mosque.
"No power would succeed in dividing Anatolia and Turkey and its honorable nation which have been living independently for thousands of years," he said
He expressed hope for a happy and peaceful eid celebration.
Pointing out that this was the first Eid celebrated since the deadly July 15 coup attempt, Yildirim remembered "the martyrs who lost their lives in the attacks of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization [FETO]."
He also had a thought for all those martyred in PKK attacks across the country.
He also addressed the appointment, by the Turkish government, of trustees to certain southeastern municipalities.
Yildirim said all the affected municipalities had turned into logistics centers for the PKK terrorist organization.
"They were involved in an illegal activity of transferring state funds and citizens' taxes to the terrorist organizations rather than spending it to improve the city," he said.
"These are the facts found out during investigations in a judicial process," he stressed.
Twenty-eight trustees were appointed to oversee local administrations Sunday following the suspension of mayors accused of links to terrorism, the Interior Ministry said.
The mayors were suspended from duty over alleged ties to the PKK or FETO, the latter linked to the July 15 coup attempt, the ministry said in a statement.
Turkish authorities hold the Fetullah Gulen-led FETO responsible for the coup attempt, which left more than 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Gulen has lived in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania in self-imposed exile since 1999.
