Speaking during a party meeting in the Aegean province of Denizli on Sunday, the MHP leader criticized the prime minister for failing to stop terrorist attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the country while trying to take an active role in ensuring security in other countries such as Syria and Libya.
“Prime Minister Erdoğan is acting irresponsibly and carelessly on the global platform while our country is experiencing severe internal bleeding. The prime minister has assigned and dedicated himself to the security of other geographies. He is vying for the title of ‘the man who saves the world' thanks to foreign support for him,” Bahçeli said in remarks critical of Erdoğan.
Bahçeli was referring to the Erdoğan government's support for the recent uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya and its active role in helping restructure these countries following the revolutions they have undergone. Erdoğan is also highly critical of the ongoing government crackdown on anti-government protestors in Syria.
Arguing that Turkey's domestic problems have reached a point where they cannot be reversed, Bahçeli said terrorist attacks by the PKK have already passed the limits of patience. He also said “the bloody face of terrorism” has begun showing up in cities and streets, adding that last week's attacks in Ankara and Siirt show how remorseless the terrorist organization is.
An explosion caused by a car bomb ripped through a street in the Turkish capital of Ankara in a neighborhood housing government buildings, killing three people and injuring 34 others, early on Tuesday. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for the Ankara attack. Later on in the day, the PKK attacked a police academy in Siirt, killing four women who were driving by. Six soldiers were killed by the PKK in a most recent attack on a gendarmerie outpost in the Pervari district of Siirt on Saturday and 11 soldiers were also injured in the attack.
