21 August 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
President Abdullah Gül has said the General Staff will be offering an explanation regarding allegations that the military failed to act against terrorists at the Hantepe outpost despite intelligence provided by Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to 30 security units during every moment of the attack on the outpost in July.
Gül, just hours ahead of a meeting with outgoing army chief Gen. İlker Başbuğ yesterday, spoke to journalists after attending the Friday prayer at the Bebek Mosque. He said: “Our chief of the General Staff’s term in office is expiring.
Today he will pay me a farewell visit. The General Staff will later make a statement. There are certain things that might be confusing for the public [referring to the Heron incident]. A statement regarding that will also be made. Both we and the General Staff question such things. There are internal investigations being carried out in the armed forces, nothing is being covered up. Statements will be released on this. These are highly technical issues, so wait for the statements.”
