Ihsan Bal Head of USAK Science Committee printable version send your friend

Monday, 18 July 2005

Is There a Way Out? It was thirty years ago when the Afghan mujahids were the heroes of the Western countries due to their struggle against Soviet Russia. And the retreat of Soviets from Afghanistan was celebrated by these countries as the victory of democracy, liberty and freedom against Communism and coercion and etc. As the time past, these mujahids became terrorists: A terrorist, whom declared to be one of the most dangerous threats against the global security… A terrorist, who showed his bloody face clearly in New York, Istanbul, Bali, Madrid, Cairo and lastly in London… A terrorist who could manage to create a network between both the terrorist and organized crime organizations all over the world to an extent that could never be achieved. And a terrorist, who was fed, trained and financed by the targets he hit…   Killing innocents either by cruise missiles or suicide bombs cannot be accepted and must be cursed. I am not eager to speculate whether U.S. and allies are right to carry out military operations in Iraq or the people who planted the bombs in the subway system of London are the freedom fighters. What I am interested in and what the global community must be interested in is saving the innocents from the brutal attacks of terrorists who have no belief but the violence, and securing the global community from the fear the terrorists want to create. Today, what we must to discuss is how we can manage to stop these attacks and prevent further the existence and emergence of similar organizations.   It is accepted that the advantages of globalization are being used more effectively by the criminals who have transnational links then the national law enforcers. And another accepted reality is that the international cooperation against the transnational crime is not adequate and must be enhanced. These acceptances also show us the way how to respond to transnational crime: Enhanced international cooperation and more effective use of security technologies and capabilities.   Specifically, in relation with the fight against terrorism, one of the most important obstacles to act globally is the ambiguity of the meaning of terrorism. The reluctance of the countries in this subject creates a heaven for the terrorists.  As long as Country A’s terrorist can be considered by Country B a “freedom fighter” or a “guerilla”, the innocent toll of terrorism will not cease but drastically increase. So we must stop calling the other’s terrorist a “freedom fighter” or “guerilla”. What is most bothersome is that the countries who generally call terrorists as “freedom fighters” are the most popular democratic countries. The last example for this is the attitude of Belgium in the case of Fehriye Erdal, a DHKP/C terrorist who had killed three, including the most famous businessman Ozdemir Sabanci, in Istanbul in 1996 and escaped to Belgium. Fehriye Erdal, who is a member of the DHKP/C Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization which is in the terrorist lists of both U.S. and E.U., was not extradited to Turkey; even Belgium refused her to bring in to justice to try her.   With the same intensions and aims, killing one or hundreds doesn’t make difference. Fehriye Erdal believes in the same manifesto of Eyup Beyaz, another DHKP/C terrorist and a suicide bomber shot to death before he could manage to detonate his two bombs attached to him near the Ministry of Justice of Turkey last week. There is no difference between Eyup Beyaz and London bombers. And it must be accepted that there is no difference between Fehriye Erdal, Eyup Beyaz and the London bombers or 9/11 terrorists. The tools they use to reach their aims are same: Indiscriminant violence, brutality and fear.   Turkey is an –unfortunately- experienced country in the fight against terrorism. Since the 1970s Turkey has experienced various kinds of terrorism; leftist, extremist rightist and separatist ones. Especially after 1984 Turkey has paid very much cost for the PKK terrorism. More than 30.000 thousand people have lost their lives because of the PKK terrorism: 10 times more than the casualties of 9/11 attacks and 150 times more than the casualties of Madrid bombings and 600 times more than the casualties of London bombings. The financial cost of the fight against the PKK terrorism exceeded 100 billion dollars. Millions of people felt the fear of terrorism for twenty years. But what depressed the Turkish people most was the Western countries’ betrayal of confidence. Its devastating consequences can be understood more clearly when it is considered that the Western way of life has become a manifestation of Turkish political elites for the last two hundred years. Most of the European countries did not act with the Turkish Government in the fight against the PKK terrorism; even some of them provided the terrorists aid and abet. Unfortunately some could hide the organization’s leader in their embassies. Some even calls the PKK as “guerilla organization” just to make a more legitimate outfit for this brutal terrorist organization.     The PKK terrorism has been a problem of Turks and Turkey and as long as the dread of terrorism does not reach their boundaries or their people Western countries do not view this as a realistic problem for themselves. And as a political vehicle from the era of the Cold War, some of the democratic countries have used these terrorists as a political pressure tool against Turkey. Some of the non-governmental organizations of these countries have called these terrorists as “freedom fighters” where the official authorities did not use an exact designation, calling them “the members of the PKK”.  Every step of Turkey in this fight has been criticized hard. To concise, Turkey was left alone in the fight against “its” terrorism and terrorists.   Several countries had helped the PKK in various periods. It was when these aids –politically or materially- were ceased the leader of terrorists, Abdullah Ocalan was caught in 1999. Just after the head of terrorists was taken to Turkey, several terrorist activities were carried out in the various cities of the world. This is a very important point that must not be ignored.   Since May 2005, the PKK, retaken its old name in April the 4th after the names of KONGRA-GEL and KADEK, has commenced multiple attacks against Turkish security forces and railway tracks. Nowadays they are using a strategy that called “Legitimate Defense Strategy (!)” which contains the use of remote controlled mine traps: Mine traps against trains those cost at least six civil casualties at the attack in Bingol, an eastern city, to a commercial train; mine traps against the military vehicles those cost at least four military casualties. Besides multiple nuisance attacks have been carried out. However there has not been any worldwide condemnation.   Latest intelligence reports warn that a suicide bomber was sent to a metropolis, possibly Istanbul or Ankara. In addition the latest operations against the PKK have revealed that the organization gets more transnational connections and aids. In the last week, after the operations against the PKK in Istanbul and Mardin, 29,5 kg. of C4 explosive was seized. C4 has an explosion speed of 8096 meter per second and it is 118% more destructive than TNT. As 100 grams of this explosive can destroy a car, 3 kg can destroy an apartment and 8 kg can make the same destruction as the HSBC Bank attack; the consequences of the use of this amount of explosive –almost 30 kg.- would be devastating. Moreover it was admitted by the detained terrorists in the early 2004 that 750 kg of C4 was brought in Turkey by the PKK.   Having mentioned the current situation and the threat level of the PKK, it will be appropriate to underline the global consequences of a newly recovering the PKK and the apparent or covered support to this organization.   Although the EU Commission Representative in Turkey says that the terrorist activities in the Southeast Turkey cannot be accepted and the PKK terrorism should have been stopped just after the London bombings, the PKK can still operate in Brussels, Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Paris, and even in London. Most of the European countries deal with the PKK as “freedom fighters” or “guerillas”, just like the US-led opposite side of the Communist Block saw Afghan fighters as mujahids. The US-led opposition financed mujahids; and most of the European countries are overlooking the financing of the PKK. The US-led opposition trained mujahids; and some of the European countries are abetting the PKK. The US-led opposition overlooked the asymmetrically growing power of the mujahids; and Europe feels not very sad about the rising threat of the PKK. The US-fed mujahids first stroke Soviets; the PKK is still striking Turkey. After the war the former mujahids, new terrorists first stroke US; let hope the PKK won’t strike its feeders after its defeat in the future. Because Turkey knows how it hurts. Because Turkey gave more than 30.000 lives to the PKK’s bloody aims. Because; Turkey is honest at the fight against terrorism; in whatever form it takes, national or global.   The Al-Qaeda terrorists are spread all over the world; organized in cells. As mentioned before, the PKK terrorists are active in the most of the European countries. And they are eligible to conduct terrorist attacks.   The latest news from North Iraq revealed that the PKK has some connections with other terrorist organizations situated at the region. Although the PKK used bombs and explosives before Ocalan’s detention, the explosive materials were not C4 – a rarely found highly destructive explosive- but were A3, A4 or TNT. It is known that the terrorist organizations in North Iraq mainly use C4 explosives. And the most important and dangerous terrorist organization in the region is known to be Ansar al-Sunnah, the terrorist organization against which US had conducted some large military operations in March 2003. And Abu Musab al-Zarkavi-led terrorist organization, Ansar al-Sunnah is pointed out as the leading organization that the PKK has close relations according to the intelligence reports and Iraqi news agencies. In great possibility, the source of the C4 explosives that the PKK transported in Turkey is Ansar al-Sunnah.   Although Afghan fighters only stroke against Soviet military, the PKK conducts its attacks indiscriminately against military, police, teachers, preachers, road workers, villagers, tourists, civilians and even babies. Power in the hands of people who has no ethical concern is the most dangerous threat for the global security. Power would make the PKK act ruthlessly as it made mujahids before. The countries that support the PKK must have some measures against it when the time changed, as in the lively example of Afghan fighters and al-Qaeda.   In order not to experience a second al-Qaeda disaster before the conjuncture changes again;   The US and Europe must act honestly and take required steps to stop the PKK terrorism which has links with the Abu Musab al-Zarkavi-led terrorist organization Ansar al-Sunnah. The US must conduct military operations against the PKK in the Northern Iraq where the PKK has training camps or let the Turkish Army to do this.   Some European countries must stop using the PKK as a political tool against Turkey. All of the illegal organizations of the PKK must be banned all over the world. The known terrorists must be extradited to Turkey or tried in the countries where they accommodate.   All of the financial sources of the PKK must be crushed including drug trafficking, racketeering, extorting, trafficking in human beings and trafficking in women.   In its early stages, the PKK wasn’t accepted as a terrorist organization officially, rather it was perceived as “guerilla fighters” even by some Western countries as “freedom fighters”.   Even after the brutal attacks the PKK carried out, the late condemnations of these countries didn’t sound honest in Turkey. The overwhelming majority of Turkish public believed that the West was playing disingenuous. In terms of fighting against terrorism, top of all, Turkish public expects pure honesty from the third parties. If the West can show its honesty in the fight against terrorism after the London attacks, a great step would have been taken in the way to the global peace. Once the grievance of the people of London, New York, Madrid, Istanbul (ect) receives same receptions all over the World, then we have a realistic chance to defeat  terrorist and terrorism everywhere.       “Good Terrorist” – “Bad Terrorist”: A Dilemma of Terrorism Policies     Creating effective anti-terror policies always leaves open doors to the manipulation of the third parties. When the bombs exploded in London there are few people who start to argue that terrorists have got the reasons. When the bombs exploded in Istanbul the line of argument of finding an excuse for the terrorists became even much greater. One must realize that killing innocent people cannot be excused wherever this happens, and whoever commits it. In terms of fighting against terrorism, the last two centuries, in particular, after the Cold War era experiences, have demonstrated that arguments of terrorists always found some alliances. Unfortunately, some countries supported those terrorist arguments for their so-called national interests. This approach has led to double standards of what so-called “good terrorist” and “bad terrorist”. Therefore, the most-needed sphere of intelligence sharing and international cooperation in curtailing terrorism has been hampered.   Instead of the dilemma or preference of “good terrorist” – “bad terrorist”, the London bombing has pushed forward the need for common definition of terrorism. Reasons behind the terrorist attacks can be debated with endless arguments, however none of the arguments good enough to justify killing of innocent people. Judging from this perspective, terrorism can be commonly defined as; “coupled with any demands and motives, designed to achieve maximum publicity, produced effects beyond the immediate damage to people. And, terrorist methods used are extreme, distraction is ruthless and does not take into account of moral, religious and civilized values or rules of war. The nature of violence is unpredictable, coercive, collective act and indiscriminate.”   From the above definition, it must be concluded that to succeed against terrorists, all parties must uphold the same definition instead of searching for their own terrorists. So, history shows us that the categorization of “good terrorist” – “bad terrorist” only plays into terrorists’ hands. This approach has helped terrorists to bring world into chaos. Unfortunately, terrorists have taken the advantage of governments and world communities’ confusions and hesitations on conceptions of terrorism. Now it is time to unite the world community against terrorism without buts. The world governments and policy-makers must put their all efforts to create a common understanding of terrorist and terrorism. This is the most fundamental basis of establishing a united front against terrorism. Unless this fundamental base is secured there is no reason to be so optimistic for the security of the globe. We must all reach to the same conclusion that there is no “good terrorist” - “bad terrorist”, but there are brutal and ruthless terrorists, who are ready to distract and demolish our world, values, life and future, who must be sincerely deal with. JTW, Ankara