There were calls from the media on the general to resign. He did not, and the General Staff explained that Gen. Babaoğlu was not in fact informed of the attack at the time. Then on Oct. 14, the Taraf daily published leaked military intelligence reports and aerial images which indicated that the military had prior information of the PKK attack on Aktütün. The paper raised the question as to whether the deaths of the 17 soldiers were due to negligence and demanded an investigation into the matter. At a press conference two days later, Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, surrounded by high-ranking commanders, did not respond to questions raised by Taraf but lashed out at the media for publishing confidential information, saying this was "an attack" on the military. He said the military was taking legal action against those who leaked and published the material and would make public the results of the investigation on the allegations. He added with a threatening tone that "those who present the actions of the separatist terrorist organization as successful acts are responsible for the blood that has been and will be shed." While Başbuğ's threatening style and avoidance of questions was widely criticized in the media, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared he stood firmly behind the chief of general staff.
Taraf's coverage regarding the Aktütün attack triggered a broad debate on the role of the media in a democracy, the effectiveness of the military in the fight against the PKK, the relationship between the Kurdish question and the PKK, the military's political role in Turkey and many related issues. The debate leads me to the following conclusions:
The Taraf daily undoubtedly fulfilled the duties of the media in a democratic regime. It published documents which indeed raise the question as to whether the Turkish military is effective in its struggle against the PKK terrorists. Taraf's intention surely is not at all "to present the actions of the separatist terrorist organization as successful" but to help improve the effectiveness of the military in its fight against the terrorist organization, which is trying its best to ignite an all-out Turkish-Kurdish war. Former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök voiced an obvious truth when he said two years ago that "patriotism is not in the monopoly of soldiers." Gen. Başbuğ may have intended to avert any negative effects disclosures on Aktütün might have on the morale of the army, but his behavior at the press conference unfortunately reminded the country of periods of military rule.
The Turkish military has long been criticized for its involvement in politics and its behaving as a political party. Many have pointed to the fact that the military's political role is detrimental to its duties in the defense of the country. The military's effectiveness in the fight against the terrorist organization has, however, only recently being seriously questioned. Questions are increasingly being raised as to whether the Turkish military has failed to face the terrorist organization, which uses guerilla tactics, with forces trained in anti-guerilla combat and whether aerial bombings are effective against the terrorists.
Criticism is in the best interest of all. In a democratic regime, no institution, the military included, is above criticism. It may even be said that the military needs criticism more than other institutions since the hierarchy and discipline in military ranks may hamper internal criticism necessary to improve effectiveness.
As quite a number of military commanders have for quite a while commented, the military can deal with terrorists, but not with terrorism. It is the duty of the elected politicians to deal with terrorism. The military should therefore leave the task of dealing with terrorism to the government. The PKK problem is the consequence of the Kurdish problem, not vice versa. In order to marginalize and eventually finish off the PKK, it is absolutely necessary to solve the Kurdish problem, which more than any other measure requires the full recognition of Kurdish identity; i.e., the full recognition of linguistic and cultural rights of citizens of Kurdish ethnicity.
The debate triggered by the Taraf daily's coverage of the Aktütün attack is indeed a healthy one and will contribute to the effectiveness of the military. It will also contribute to the further democratization of the country.
Benzer Haberler 
