News / Interviews

Turkey using war on terror to kill Kurds: Commentator

Tuesday, 09 February 2016 6:39 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 11 February 2016 4:29 AM ]

Turkish plain clothes police officers detain a protester on Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on February 8, 2016 during a demonstration against the curfew in Cizre. (©AFP)

Press TV has interviewed William Jones, with the Executive Intelligence Review from Leesburg, on the massacre of Kurds during Turkish army’s operation in Kurdish areas of Turkey.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Do you think that Turkey is eliminating Kurds as a whole with looking at civilian deaths that are rising, we had 200 and now this number here 70 of civilians who have died based on army operations by Turkey?

Jones: I think that’s the agenda and I think that’s been the agenda from the get-go. The Turks unfortunately have been able to use this so-called war against terrorism to mobilize their forces without significant criticism from the international community, which otherwise would have reacted at what seems to be a policy of ongoing genocide of the Kurdish part of their population.

And this is their main task in terms of the so-called war against terror. It’s not aimed against ISIL (Daesh) but it’s aimed against the Kurds.

I don’t know how far they intend to go, but Turkey has a history with regard to this and everybody remembers the Armenian genocide.

And the question is 'is history repeating itself?' in essence. And if that is the case, then the international community regardless of the war on terror has to react to this type of policy; but as yet, there’s been little said about it.

Press TV: Unless there’s a deal the deal that Turkey has made with the United States in particular about the issue of the Kurds.

Jones: Well, obviously they’ve done that. I mean all the compromises that were made, the fact that the Kurds were not involved at all in the Geneva talks in spite of the fact that they have been the main force fighting against ISIL and have been supported by the US military on the ground.

They’re, nevertheless, not getting much support politically in terms of coming from the US or from the Western countries.

I think they’re in a very bad situation. They’re being sold out in many respects by the US in spite of the role that they’re playing militarily on the ground.

And I think that if this continues and we give more rope to the Turks to do what they’re doing, they’re going to hang the Kurds and the responsibility will lie not only on Turkey but also on the Western nations who have allowed that to happen.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir