Erdogan says Turkish army has never used
chemical weapons
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[October 21, 2022]
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President
Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's armed forces have never used chemical
weapons and that legal action would be taken against those who make such
allegations, broadcaster NTV reported on Friday. |
![](../images/102122PIX/news_p98.jpg)
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a
meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the
6th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building
Measures in Asia (CICA), in Astana, Kazakhstan October 13, 2022.
Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS |
Media close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group
published videos this week which it said showed chemical weapons
being used by the Turkish army against the PKK in northern Iraq.
"Our armed forces have not resorted to using chemical weapons to
this day," NTV quoted Erdogan as telling reporters on his plane
returning from a trip to Azerbaijan.
The defence ministry and top officials on Thursday also denied the
armed forces had used chemical weapons in their operations against
Kurdish militants.
Turkish prosecutors on Thursday opened an investigation into the
head of the Turkish Medical Association, Sebnem Korur Fincanci,
after she said on television that footage indicated the use of toxic
gases and called for an independent investigation.
State-owned Anadolu news agency said Financi was accused of "making
terrorist group propaganda" and "denigrating the Turkish nation, the
Republic of Turkey and its institutions".
An international medical federation published a report this month
seeking independent investigation of possible violations of the 1997
Chemical Weapons Convention by the Turkish military.
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.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Ali
Kucukgocmen and Nick Macfie)
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