Amid rising PKK terror in the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey, as well as the recent failed coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the threat posed by FETÖ, the leaders of the prominent 181 Kurdish families from 16 provinces have announced that they will gather in the eastern Van province on Sunday to show their stance against the terror groups in Turkey and declare their siding with the government.
According to Anadolu Agency's report, the leading figures from the families, with influence over 2 million people in eastern and southeastern Turkey, will gather in Van province and make a public statement, in which they have said will mention their support to the government in the fight against all terror groups and highlight unity.
Meanwhile, rejecting the recent reports claiming that a second coup attempt against the government will be done through the families in the region, the head of the Ertoşi family, one of the largest in the region, Iskender Ertoşi, was quoted by AA, saying that they will make a statement against the allegations, keep their position on any sort of illegal structures and reiterate support to the government.
On July 15, a small military junta linked to FETÖ attempted to stage a coup to topple the democratically elected president and government in Turkey and impose martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. In total, 241 people consisting of mostly civilians were killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 2,000 people were injured.
The attempt was masterminded by Fetullah Gülen, who has lived in self-imposed exile on a 400-acre property in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania since 1999.
One of the prominent figures in the Gevdan family, Rasim Aslan, also said that Sunday's gathering is a way to show support to the government, also saying that all steps taken towards peace in the region will be supported.
"The families are standing by the state. The unity among the prominent families on these issues is important. In recent days we had many lies told about us. One of the reasons for our meeting is to protest these remarks. We are ready to do all that is necessary for the peace to be established in the region," he added.
Vahdettin İnce, a Kurdish intellectual and a political analyst, told Daily Sabah that the families (termed "aşiret" in Turkish) consist of an important part of the Kurdish sociological structure and that the attacks against them are an attempt to destroy them through the PKK and other threats, which would put the Kurds in a position that would make them easily exploited by bigger powers.
"Kurdish ‘aşirets' have always played an important role in establishing the Kurdish identity, which has conservative tendencies and are loyal to the state. They were previously caricaturized by the Kemalist ideology to belittle them as an entity, and contemporarily they are being attacked by the PKK. The aim is to eliminate them as a social power, which would make the Kurds in the region vulnerable for those with intention to exploit them," he said.
Ince also added: "In the "New Turkey" Kurds have found a place for themselves. They have understood that the state is also there for them and have built a trust-based relationship. This is why they did not respond to the calls by the PKK for revolt. Also the government, with its new anti-terror strategy, showed people that it is the PKK terrorists that are being targeted, not the people."
Speaking to Daily Sabah on the unity among the prominent families, İlhami Işık, a Star daily Columnist, said that the step has an important significance for the region.
"The move by the families is a reflection of discourse turning into practice, as they are taking concrete steps. The region has suffered a lot from the instability and PKK terror, which is now also active in Syria and Iraq. As such, now that the government has the elevated position against the PKK in the region, it must take further social, cultural, and political steps that will help build life in the region. Including the prominent families, civil society, and political movements other than the PKK as parties for the solution, will help build an inclusive solution," he added.
Similar remarks were also made in September 2015, where a group of 120 influential leaders from prominent families of Turkey's eastern and southeastern regions also made a public call to the PKK, urging the terrorist organization to lay down arms and leave the country.
After Turkey's June 7 parliamentary elections, the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), an administrative PKK organization, declared the end of the cease-fire, which the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan had negotiated before, and starting after July 11 initiated attacks against Turkish security forces.
About the author
Ph.D. holder in Political Science and International Relations, editorial coordinator at Daily Sabah
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