Gul, Erdogan condemn recent PKK attacks

President Abdullah Gul spoke with the Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel and received information on the developments in the south-eastern province of Hakkari, where 6 Turkish troops and 2 village guards were killed late on Saturday in a clash between Turkish security forces and PKK terrorists. Gul said in a written statement that he felt deep sadness over the demise of 6 Turkish troops and 2 village guards, and the injuries of 15 troops, 1 village guard and 5 civilians. "Everyone must see that terror and violence can reach nowhere by bloodshed and tears. Such attacks will not weaken the authority of our state and hurt our will for co-existence. The threat of terror will be eradicated by the determination of our nation, the strength of our state and the means of our country," Gul stressed. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent a written message to offer his condolences to Ozel in the wake of the Hakkari attacks. "The PKK once again showed its enmity to Turkey's national and spiritual values by mounting a dastardly attack during the holy month of Ramadan. Terror, sooner or later, is bound to lose and disappear," Erdogan said. Erdogan added that Turkey was strong enough to bring into line both the murderers controlled by the PKK and enemy countries that hold the PKK's strings.