Air forces officer asks to down Herons to save PKK terrorists

According to the report, an air forces officer in wire communications asked a high-ranking air forces pilot to shoot down Herons or change their flight plans because they caused too much damage to PKK terrorists, who he spoke of as “ours.” The conversation took place on Oct. 10, 2007. An officer calling a mobile phone from a landline in Ankara said the Herons were very good at locating targets and that they caused a great deal of damage to his own men who were PKK militants. He said he would like the Herons to be downed or at least be given new coordinates. The commander on the other at the end of the line said, “We'll take care of that.”

The scandal broke when the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) detected the conversation and informed the Land Forces Command. The land forces commander at the time, Gen. İlker Başbuğ, ordered an investigation into the two officers on Oct. 28, 2007.

The military prosecutor, Naci Dalkılıç, was able to identify the two air forces officers with the help of the gendarmerie and the police department. The man who asked to down Herons was identified as air forces pilot Sr. Lt. Fırat Ç., while the person who promised to take care of the problem was identified was air forces pilot Lt. Col. Selçuk Ç. The man who asked to down Herons was identified as air forces pilot Sr. Lt. Fırat Ç., while the person who promised to take care of the problem was identified was air forces pilot Lt. Col. Selçuk Ç.

Command center investigation

The two officers who had the conversation are also suspects in an investigation into alleged command house centers within the military organized by the Workers' Party (İP) and other members of Ergenekon -- a clandestine network charged with attempting to overthrow the government. The prosecution attempted to merge this investigation on Sept. 9, 2008. The case was sent to air forces Judge Col. Ahmet Zeki Üçok, who was conducting the İP/command houses investigation at the time. Üçok is currently the main defendant in the trial of alleged members of a gang that is accused of processing fake medical reports to excuse its clients from military service. He was apprehended last month. After the case was referred to Üçok, the investigation was halted.

One night in custody

Üçok notified the Land Forces Command on Sept. 23, 2008 that he had taken over the Heron officer's file, but instead of merging it with the command houses investigation he kept it as a separate investigation. He let the file sit until July 2009 and spoke with Fırat Ç. as a suspect. According to Bugün, Fırat Ç. was kept in custody for a night but released without even being referred to a court. Bugün also wrote that Lt. Col. Selami Selçuk Ç. was heard only as a witness and that no legal action had been taken against him.

General Staff prosecution on the case

When Üçok was arrested in the gang investigation last week, Judge Col. Hakan Özbek replaced him as the air forces military prosecutor. Özbek declared the case out of his jurisdiction, saying the General Staff Prosecutor's Office should deal with the case as one of the suspects might be an admiral. However, General Staff Military Judge Maj. Yaşar Yüce dismissed the case in April on the grounds that the identity of the admiral suspected in the investigation had not been clarified in the referral. The case was then sent to the Defense Ministry's Judicial Affairs Directorate, which would ultimately decide which prosecutor's office should follow the case. The directorate ruled that Yüce should take the case.

Need for civilian inspection

International Strategic Research Center (USAK) Chairman Sedat Laçiner said there were elements inside the military that thrive on conflicts in Turkey. “These are not only commissioned officers but also elements in the military judiciary. The sad part is that this incident was covered up by top commanders. In other words, we shouldn't have needed a newspaper story for an investigation into this. MİT, the General Staff and even the prime minister know about this, but this has been covered up. They are all responsible,” he said. Laçiner underlined that this example served once again to show that the security mechanism should be under civilian monitoring. “Plus if you leave this to the military judiciary, no results will ever be seen,” he warned.

MİT document on his computer

Lt. Col. Selçuk Ç. had previously been arrested on charges of “acquiring classified information” after a confidential MİT document was found on his computer. He was arrested in March 2003 but was released after appealing his arrest.

Meanwhile, Bugün also reported that officers in the same unit as Sr. Lt. Fırat Ç. had petitioned their commanders, saying the presence of Fırat Ç. and the fact that no action had been taken against his support for the PKK was “shattering the belief they held in the Turkish Armed Forces' [TSK]” mission.

Heron unmanned aircraft detected a terrorist presence in Siirt last month. Twelve terrorists were killed after this and an attack that may have been fatal for Turkish soldiers was prevented. Herons also detected the presence of terrorist elements before the Aktütün attack of 2008, but the military did not take the necessary measures and 17 soldiers were killed.