12 November 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES , İSTANBUL
Necessary procedures for military enlistment have been put into motion for four of 34 people from a refugee camp and a terrorist base in northern Iraq who recently surrendered to Turkish security forces but who have not yet completed their compulsory military service.
The newcomers, who returned to Turkey in mid-October as part of the government’s ongoing efforts collectively referred to as the Kurdish or democratic initiative, have been released with no legal attachments pending after a brief interrogation upon their return under Turkey’s partial amnesty law known as the “repentance law.” Meanwhile, out of the 34 who surrendered, 15 were given Republic of Turkey identification cards. The remaining will be issued IDs once bureaucratic procedures concerning their background are completed.Four of the returnees -- three from the Mahmour refugee camp, identified as Bülent Aka, Musa Tümeg and Nizar Buldan, and one from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) base in northern Iraq’s Kandil Mountains, identified as Mustafa Ayhan -- reportedly have not yet completed their compulsory military service.
