Turkish FM criticizes some countries over ‘silence’ toward recent PKK attack on Turkish nationals

Some countries that claim to be fighting terrorism are either silent over the PKK group's execution of 13 Turkish citizens in Northern Iraq or they are trying to slur over it, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Feb. 15.

"Countries that claim to be combatting terrorism are either silent toward this massacre by the PKK or are trying to slur over it with 'ifs' and 'buts'," Çavuşoğlu said, speaking at the opening of a new building for the Ethiopian Embassy in Ankara.

The minister vowed to take revenge for the citizens executed by the PKK in the Gara region during Turkey's recent Operation Claw-Eagle 2 on Feb. 10 into Northern Iraq.

Turkey will continue undeterred in its fight against terrorist organizations both in the country and abroad, he said.

He also said the country would continue to support Ethiopia and other African countries in their fight against terrorism as well.

"Unlike many Western countries, we never applied double standards and never acted in hypocrisy," said the minister.

In a separate statement, the Turkish foreign minister strongly criticized Western countries over their "double standards" and "selective approach" toward terrorism.

"Western world's double standard on terrorism and its selective approach about 'good terrorist' and 'bad terrorist' continue," said Çavuşoğlu on Twitter, using the hashtags #PKKisaHeinousTerroristOrganisation and #PKKExecutesCivilians.

Turkey identifies citizens executed by PKK terrorists

Turkey has identified 10 of its 13 citizens, who were abducted and executed by the PKK terror group in northern Iraq, an official said on Feb. 14.

Aydın Baruş, the governor of Turkey's eastern province of Malatya, said at a news conference that...