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One million Turks hold anti-terror rally in Istanbul

Xinhua, September 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nearly one million people held an anti-terror rally here on Sunday to voice their support to the ruling AKP party and and its fight against PKK terror attacks.

The rally, gathering under the slogan "Millions of breaths, one voice against terror," began late Sunday afternoon in Yenikapi Square, located in the historic peninsula on the European side of the city.

Turkey has been increasingly dragging into an overall bloody civil war as violence escalates. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) killed about 150 security forces since late July, which drew the nationwide attention to the fight between PKK militants and the government security forces in the country.

Addressing the massive rally, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We will not show mercy to terror and terrorists, we will enter their caves and chase them."

However, Erdogan lose no chance to mobilize his supporters before the upcoming snap elections set on Nov. 1, calling Turks to vote for his AKP (Justice and Development Party) party and demanded 550 seats for one party in the rally, adding: "I want your historical decision and effort on Nov.1."

The main reason behind the government's decision to end three years of peace process that has been conducting between PKK and the state is the HDP's success during the last election in June.

After the election, ruling AKP also lost majority in the southeastern provinces of Turkey. According to the results, HDP took the majority of the supports of local community.

AKP needed 400 deputies in order to establish one-party government. But instead the party won 255 seats in the parliament.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also made a statement at the rally, accusing HDP opposition party leaning on PKK in their attack against the security forces. "We are decisive to demolish all terror camps in Kandil Mountains. We will continue this operation until they lay down weapons."

Specialist warned that the clashes between PKK and the security forces have the potential to turn out to be an ethnic war between Kurds and Turks.

The government blaming PKK to violate the condition of disarmament ended the three years old peace process which aimed to end 30 years of bloody war. Endit