The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) termed the case a routine transfer to a military facility in Ankara; however, it failed to be convincing because everyone is wondering why the armed forces ordered the transport of the explosives in a civilian vehicle and without any security escort for protection. The TSK’s failure to eliminate any of the potential risks in transporting munitions in this unsafe way has also made it a target of criticism. Many say this incident should not simply be covered up as there are many questions surrounding it.“If a civilian truck that is usually used for transporting watermelons is discovered to be carrying 900 hand grenades by police in the country’s capital, this would lead to panic not only in Turkey but anywhere in the world,” says Zaman’s Mustafa Ünal, who thinks the incident could never be evaluated as routine and ordinary.
Considering the fact that Turkey is a country where bombs and many kinds of ammunition have been discovered underground, supposedly buried by panicking members of Ergenekon, a shadowy crime network that has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government, Ünal says the discovery of these hand grenades carries great importance with regard to the continuation of the Ergenekon trial.
In relation to a General Staff statement which noted that it was a routine transfer of munitions, Ünal says this statement is far from convincing. “This is not a simple case that can be easily covered up. The prosecutor’s office has launched an extensive investigation. The person who notified the police about the truck is also being investigated. We are either faced with a serious situation, or some people are playing with Turkey. Both cases are terrible,” explains Ünal.
In his view, there are many questions that need to be answered as nowhere in the world are hand grenades transported in a civilian truck under the supervision of two people. “The police department was not informed about the transfer. Where else could we see such a method of transporting weapons? There is no need to be a terrorism expert to say this. What would happen if this truck, which set out from Muğla and passed through isolated places before arriving in Ankara, had been stopped by terrorists or hijacked by them?” asks Ünal, adding, “This truck case is full of irregularities.”
Bugün’s Adem Yavuz Arslan points to the security shortcomings in the truck case, saying that it is a perfect example of “lack of discipline” by everyone involved, from the technical staff loading the hand grenades to the regiment commander. “In the bylaws of the Turkish Armed Forces [TSK], there are rules for the transport of explosives. There are very strict rules for civilian vehicles that carry explosive and flammable materials. But we have seen that hand grenades are transferred like watermelons. No security measures were taken en route. The truck covered a distance of 700 kilometers, from Muğla to Ankara, but no officials in the provinces on its route were informed about the transfer. What if the truck had had an accident, what if it had exploded while passing through a city center?” he asks.
Arslan also says there was the risk of the munitions in the truck being hijacked by a terrorist organization like the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or al-Qaeda. “In brief, the truck case in Ankara is not one that can easily be covered up,” adds Arslan.
