|
Media close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group
published videos this week which it said showed chemical weapons
being used by the army against the PKK in northern Iraq.
Separately, an international medical groups' federation
published a report this month seeking independent investigation
of possible violations of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
"Allegations that 'the Turkish Armed Forces used chemical
weapons' are completely baseless and untrue," the defence
ministry said in a statement.
"All these disinformation efforts are the futile struggles of
the terrorist organization and its allies," it said, adding that
ammunition prohibited by international law and agreements was
not used by, or in the inventory of, its armed forces.
The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European
Union and United States. More than 40,000 people have been
killed in fallout from the insurgency that it launched against
the Turkish state in 1984.
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW),
which represents thousands of doctors and campaigns to prevent
armed violence, said it found indirect evidence of possible
violations during a September mission to northern Iraq.
"The chemical weapons lie is a futile attempt by those who try
to whitewash and airbrush terrorism. Our fight against terrorism
will continue with resolve and determination," presidential
spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter.
Omer Celik, spokesman of President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK
Party, described those who make chemical weapons' allegations as
part of "a vile slander network".
In its report, the IPPNW said Defence Minister Hulusi Akar
openly acknowledged in Turkey's parliament last year the use of
tear gas during an operation against the PKK in northern Iraq.
"This is an outright violation of the Chemical Weapons
Convention and should be pursued legally by the international
community," it said.
The IPPNW said it found in northern Iraq material near an area
abandoned by the Turkish army including containers for
hydrochloric acid and bleach, which could be used to produce
chlorine, a chemical warfare agent. At the same site containers
were found for gas masks protecting against chemical weapons, it
said.
It said none of its evidence was definitive proof of chemical
weapons use but it warranted further independent investigation.
(Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, William
Maclean)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
