Turkish officials deny chemical warfare allegations

Turkish officials deny chemical warfare allegations
Publish:
A+ A-
Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin and Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the ruling AKP, dismissed the allegations as slander

Officials from Turkey’s presidency and the ruling bloc denied allegations of chemical warfare against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) during Turkey’s military offensive in Kurdistan Region of Iraq after pro-Kurdish HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) and a deputy from the main opposition CHP called for investigation. 

“The chemical weapons lie is the futile effort of those who try to justify and aestheticize terrorism. Our fight against terrorism will continue with perseverance and determination,” Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter. 

The spokesperson for the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) dismissed the allegations as slander and said

“These are the centers that try to show the terrorist organization's murders as innocent. Those who praise the murders of the PKK are attacking the Turkish Armed Forces.” 

After videos posted on social media showed PKK militants who allegedly suffered from attacks with chemical weapons, Turkey’s HDP called on international institutions to investigate the allegations concerning the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish military in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

"There are serious reports and allegations that Turkey has been using chemical agents in its military operations since 2021 in the territories of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, which according to international law constitutes a war crime, and some images recently published by some media outlets further support such allegations," the Executive Council of HDP said in a statement released on Tuesday.

CHP’s Kurdish deputy Sezgin Tanrikulu also vowed on Twitter to present the allegations in the Turkish assembly. 

"As of tomorrow, I will submit my parliamentary question on the accuracy of the images that support the allegations,” he said