Business Standard

Turkey president slams parties instigating street violence

Image

IANS Ankara

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday accused pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party ( HDP) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) of instigating anti-Islamic State (IS) protests, leaving over 30 people killed.

The Turkish president said in the Black Sea city of Trabzon that the two parties did not have the right to criticise the Turkish government because they did not provide support to a parliamentary motion adopted last week that authorised the launch of military incursions into Syria and Iraq for possible operations against the IS militants, reported citing Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkey had opened its doors to 200,000 people following IS's assault on Kobane, Erdogan said, stressing that there are 130,000 (Syrian) refugees in Europe while Turkey alone hosts 1.5 million.

 

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala Friday said thousands of Kurdish people have flocked into streets since Monday for demonstrations against the fighting in the Kurdish populated town of Kobane in northern Syria.

The protests have left 31 people dead and 351 others wounded, the minister said, adding that citizens in 35 provinces were affected and 1,024 protesters were detained.

Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab, has been subject to ferocious attacks by the Sunni militants over the past three weeks. The IS have succeeded in capturing hundreds of Kurdish villages around Kobane, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

The pro-Kurdish HDP called for protests against the attack on Kobane and the Turkish government's "reluctance on the issue".

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Oct 11 2014 | 2:28 AM IST

Explore News