CENTRAL NEWS
The following is a transcript of the questioning of a pilot officer responsible for military units, based in the Şırnex region of Northern Kurdistan between 1995 and 2011. Documents obtained and cross referenced, and a statement by sister of Hatice Gundogdu, Neriman Gundogdu, place accuracy on the tellings of the terrorist pilot. The element’s questioning process continues, under detention by Kurdish forces in a centre in western Kurdistan.
Which units are allowed to fly helicopters and planes in the region? Assignments, operations, shellings and the Fs?
My main duty was the battle… I was the Combat Squad Commander. My main duty piloting. I’ll leave the squad to the colonel. For example, the location of a group was discovered. The agent gave his notice to the brigade command. The brigade command calls the Lieutenant General from the Diyarbakır Ascendant Command. He transmits whatever information it receives. The F-5 is then sent to the relevant region first. The tour is taken, the area is surveilled by the camera. It reports the information to the F-4 and the central base. The F-4 is lifted and F-5s are escorted. Targets are displayed. Planes bomb the area.
Cobras are combat helicopters, they are like jet aircraft. Their task is to bomb. The rockets they throw are the system of the cobra. Bombs, rocket fires. But I don’t know the type. However, any bomb can also be adjusted. Airborne cobras, ground teams and aircrafts are operated. The cobra is used by two pilots. One uses the helicopter, the other fires. He is the trigger-man.
Şırnak Brigade Communications Branch Manager makes plans and notifies. Military tactics and planning is made directly by the chief of staff and staff officers. They do not need to provide information, they only give the necessary information on the morning of the operation. The brigade commander, the chief of staff would give me orders.
Like thousands of soldiers and “special officers” in Kurdistan, in what intensity were you fighting?
Density means violence. The war there is a medium-intensity war. But it took all the intensity of the state. Wherever there is an event in medium-intensity war, an attack is made. The Turkish Army surpassed the medium-intensive war. If it is understood from the outside that there is a total war, Turkey will be disgraced to the world. There must be no internal wars. If there is an internal war, it cannot get help from NATO.
Who wants this war to continue? Why?
The state wants this war to continue. In other words, those who manage the Turkish Army want this. War is a source of income for officers. They do not want to be divided from this income.
The village guards were Kurdish and were commissioned by the regular army. What was the approach to them?
The guards! They did not trust the village guards. They used them like donkeys. The village guards go to the operations with the teams and go into conflict. They are killed or injured. I would take the injured guards by helicopter from Şırnak to a military hospital in Diyarbakır. Petty officer, officer, soldier, rangers were among those I carried.
It was July of 1996. One day we went to Dêrhîn / Dêrahéni (Uzungeçit) by road. Other officers came after me. Among them was the Gökçen Upper Lieutenant. Pasha called on all of us, “Prepare the units individually for movement,” he said. While in the preparations process, Uzungeçit Squad Commander Osman said, “Come, let’s go to the coffee shop.” He said, “Are the guards abusing the public there? When we go to coffee shop here, the people get up and go.”
Have you observed the approach towards the women in the region? Army members do not leave without raping in the houses and tents they enter. This topic is not discussed. Harassment, the number of raped women is thousands, the number is not certain. Silence continues. Can you open up the issue of the army and women?
We were drinking coffee in Uzungeçit. There was a little boy. The guards spoke among themselves. They were being humorous. “That boy is from me. The youngest girl is from me… He is from me…” This joke was so weird for me…
In Şırnak, village guards were told that the commanders were attracting women from the local community. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. One evening we were in the army house. The chief of staff called me at eleven o’clock.
A colonel, a major, and me and a lieutenant ordered “Get ready to go to Gerur (Ortabağ) district Bêcuh (Gülyazı) tomorrow.”
Colonel Mustafa said, “It neccesates as so. Major Ali Şahin, and several petty officers are ready. Get up in the morning.” He gave his order.
I woke up in the morning, got dressed and went immediately. Everyone was waiting. We went to Uludere (Qılab) Gülyazı (Bijuh-Bêcuh). We saw that there was tension. Not only the ranks but also the privates were tense. There was a Colonel in Gülyazı. The Colonel said: “Take the deposition of Fevzi Colonel.”
Regiment commander Colonel Fevzi says, “Bring a woman this woman.” They take the woman he wants. Colonel Fevzi wants to make love with the woman named Hatice. The woman refuses to make love with this colonel and hangs and kills herself. While the Colonel wants to sleep with that woman, the guards there are also on duty.
Yekmal is 85 km from Şırnak center and 48 km from Uludere district. It is conected to Beytüşşebap. Melek Tatar was the village guard in the Yekmal-Andaş-Mezra. There was a conflict. During this conflict, a village guard was injured in his foot. Melek Tatar came and said “Hopefully he will be saved.” The other village guard said, “Hopefully, he will die. Because he has a wife like a peanut.”
Melek Tatar was short and blond. He was not a loved one in the region. When I got to know him, those who knew him were saying, “This man is one of the people,” and they said they didn’t like him. I saw Tatar in the brigade and in Yekmal. This man was said to have established relationships between commanders and local ladies. More precisely, this Tatar had special relationships with the Communications Branch Manager.
Harassment and rape were also made into ordinary events. Can you give other examples of discomfort, harassment, rape?
It was always happening in Şırnak center . It was not reflected in the press.”
END OF DOCUMENT
