Turkish President Erdogan pledges ongoing support for oppressed, especially in Gaza

By Faruk Zorlu

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday expressed the nation's enduring commitment to support the oppressed, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip.

At a ceremony in Ankara commemorating poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who wrote the words of Türkiye's national anthem, Erdogan said: "We will continue to cry out in Akif's language for those killed, exploited, and oppressed, especially in Gaza, and stand on the side of justice and the just."

In response to continued attacks on Türkiye's independence, Erdogan stressed the nation's determination to secure its future.

He also urged a united effort to maintain a resolute position against any activities jeopardizing the country's internal cohesion.

Following last week’s PKK terrorist attacks which killed 12 soldiers who were part of Operation Claw-Lock, Türkiye reaffirmed its determination to fight and eliminate terrorism at its source, and carried out airstrikes that destroyed dozens of terror targets in northern Iraq and Syria and neutralized many terrorists.

PKK terrorists often hide in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye. It also has a Syrian branch, known as the YPG.

Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022 to target the PKK terror group’s hideouts in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of northern Iraq, located near the Turkish border.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.