06/30/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09976
U.S., TURKEY AGAINST TERRORISM
Turkish army General Hilmi Akin Zorlu (PRON: hill-mee ah-kin zur-luh) recently took over command of the multinational security force serving in Afghanistan. Turkey will soon have a full complement of almost one-thousand four-hundred personnel in the security force. Turkey will lead the force of almost five-thousand troops for six months.
Turkey is a valued partner in the anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States. Turkey was a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and has been a military ally of the U.S. for half a century. Turkish troops were famed for their skill and courage when they joined the United Nations force fighting North Korean Communist aggression against South Korea in the 1950s. Turkey’s progressive Islamic culture represents a positive example for Muslims throughout the world.
When the U.S.-led military campaign against the al-Qaida terrorists and the Taleban began in Afghanistan, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer (PRON: Ahkmet Nedjdet Sezer) immediately said that his country would stand by the U.S.
Presented with the evidence of the guilt of terrorist chief Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorist network in the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington, Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit (PRON: Bullent Edjevit) commented,
"The fact that the U.S. found it persuasive persuades us also."
The prospect of Turkish command over the security force in Afghanistan inspired other countries to offer their military forces to support the mission. General Zorlu announced that Ireland, Slovenia, Indonesia, and Malaysia expressed their wish to participate after Turkey’s lead role was announced.
Turkey has had its own problems with terrorism. For decades, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or P-K-K, a violent Marxist group that exploited Kurdish issues, murdered Turkish citizens. The aim of the P-K-K was to set up a totalitarian dictatorship under its founder, Abdulah Ocalan (PRON: Abdulah Odjalahn).
Ocalan was jailed in Turkey in 1999, and Turkey has struck serious blows against the P-K-K terrorists. With similar commitment, Turkey has been helping the United States-led coalition defeat the Taleban and al-Qaida. Together, the U.S., Turkey, and their allies will win the war against terrorism worldwide.