After attack kill 12 soldiers, Turkey unveils new anti-terror strategy

Following back-to-back terrorist PKK attacks which left 12 soldiers dead over the weekend, Turkey yesterday announced that it will restructure its intelligence and military operations in an attempt to stop the growing assaults by the group. The new threefold anti-terror strategy will see Turkey review current operations, intensify cooperation with neighboring countries, and work to boost the nation's morale while psychologically weakening the terrorist group. "The fight against terror was comprehensively assessed and in light of recent developments, it was decided to take additional short- and mid-term measures," said a statement issued after a security summit chaired by President Abdullah Gul with the participation of top civil and military officials, including the heads of the intelligence service and the newly established civilian anti-terror unit. Participants at the meeting agreed to review the intelligence-gathering operations and structure of the military personnel serving in the country's southeast, where the PKK is very active. The second part of the new strategy calls for intensified coordination with neighboring countries and others related to the fight against the terrorist PKK, a change that is likely to bring more talks with Iraq and especially Massoud Barzani, the head of the northern Iraqi regional administration. During his landmark visit to Turkey this month, Barzani was given strong evidence and information on the terrorist group's moves in his region. Though some progress has been seen, Turkish diplomats said they are still far from satisfied with Barzani's support for anti-terror efforts. The subject is also expected to be part of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's likely meeting with US President Barack Obama during the G-20 summit in Toronto this weekend. The third part of the strategy calls for a solid psychological "war" to keep up the nation's morale without encouraging the terrorists through media coverage. "The media should be more sensitive in informing the public," the statement said. According to government sources, the summit will be followed by other meetings to review the state of the fight against the terrorist PKK, and will be accompanied by meetings with opposition parties to try and secure the entire country's support. As part of this effort, Gul met separately with opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahceli and Gulten Kisanak, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). The president is also planning to meet with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), today in Istanbul.