Turkey-Istanbul; Following a probe by the Van Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office which revealed that a land mine explosion that killed seven soldiers last year was caused by mines planted by the Turkish military, contrary to the widely held belief that they had been planted by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), more information regarding the Turkish military’s failures has been made public.
Sedat Laçiner, the head of the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO/USAK), said the incident in Çukurca was not unusual and that many soldiers know of such deficiencies in the military but choose to remain silent for fear that they will be declared “traitorous” or “disloyal.” Laçiner said those incidents could be said to be caused by “friendly mines” and added that some people within the military have told him that planting mines is not well coordinated.