Ninety soldiers in three buses who were without any weapons or protection were stopped on the road, and 33 of them were killed. A few military offices were tried on charges of negligence, and that was all. The new government under then-President Süleyman Demirel planned to discuss issuing a general pardon for PKK members during the first government meeting on May 25, the day after this massacre occurred. Thus, this massacre caused the settlement of the Kurdish issue to be, once again, postponed.There were also provocations that triggered conflict between Sunnis and Alevis. Thirty-eight days after the Bingöl massacre, on July 2, 1993, the Madımak Hotel in Sivas -- where intellectuals and artists attending festivities in honor of Pir Sultan Abdal were staying -- was set on fire; 35 people were killed. This massacre in Sivas had been staged in order to start a Sunni-Alevi conflict in the aftermath of the Çorum and Maraş plots. Just like the case of Herons, the state watched as people burned alive. Three days later, 33 people were killed in retaliation for the Sivas attack in Başbağlar village in Erzincan province. These two incidents are now included in the third indictment of the Ergenekon case. 1993 is such an important year.
Retired Vice Adm. Atilla Kıyat, speaking on a television program the previous day, revealed horrible things. He claimed that the unresolved murders committed between 1993 and 1997 were part of a state policy. He maintained that the military officers who are now on trial in the Ergenekon case fulfilled the orders given to them as lieutenants or captains. To the people who acted as presidents, prime ministers and chiefs of general staff at that time, he asked, “How can you sleep peacefully at night?”
On Aug. 2 the Taraf daily delivered the following terrible news: “Generals watched soldiers die.” It came out that the Heron UAVs broadcast live an attack on and the death of seven soldiers in the Hantepe military zone, attached to the Third Tactical Division Command in Çukurca district of Hakkari, on July 20. The images are unbearable to watch. Hand grenades were thrown at the soldiers. Those who tried to escape were shot to death. They even fired bullets at soldiers who had already died. It is said that these images were watched by 30 different centers. The PKK militants lingered there for about an hour. There were attack helicopters that could have been there in 15 minutes, but they were not sent to rescue the soldiers.
What can one make of this, for God’s sake? How can military officers in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) bear this? It follows that there were some who could not and that they sent those images to the Taraf newspaper. Treason is not enough to explain this incident. It is horrendous.
There is something else as horrific as this incident. The General Staff has not made issued any statements about Taraf’s story for four days. Are these images from Hantepe? Are they real? Previously, it had been said assistance could not be sent because of bad weather. But, as it seems, the weather was quite clear. One can even see the smoke of the hand grenades. If so, why was assistance not sent? What happened there that night? The seasoned editors-in-chief, columnists, anchors and announcers, why do they not want to comment on this news? Why this utter silence?
What can damage the TSK’s image more than this silence? Those who direct all sorts of insults and accusations at people who seek the truth about the military, why do they sit still and watch this scandal which truly damages the TSK’s prestige?
The relatives of the martyrs have turned their eyes on the General Staff, and they expect an explanation. They are questioning why their sons were killed by mines laid down by their own commanders.
Not only the General Staff, but also certain media organizations are silent. So are Mr. Erdoğan, Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu and Mr. Bahçeli. Those who make a spectacle at martyrs’ funerals are also silent.
There is only one way to deal with this: This scandal cannot be covered up. Those who failed to perform their duties and those who betray, if anything, must be called to account for their actions. The TSK must save itself from suspicion and win back the trust of the nation.
