Hundreds of thousands rally against terrorism in Turkey
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Turkey to rally against terrorism.
In the western port city of Istanbul, over 100,000 people showed up to show their support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's controversial offensive against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.
The main speaker at the rally was Erdogan himself who vowed to pursue the outlawed PKK “to the terrorists' last redoubt.”
"There is no question of making the slightest concession to terrorism," Erdogan told the crowd.
During the rally people carried placards and wore headbands that read, “Martyrs never die, the homeland cannot be divided."
Meanwhile, in the capital Ankara state media reported that over 100,000 other people took to the streets there to show their backing for the current policies of Erdogan.
PKK militants have killed dozens of police and soldiers in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since the collapse of a two-year ceasefire in July.
Ankara has been striking the group with almost daily air raids on their bases on both sides of the border with Iraq.
Turkey’s ongoing two-month-old offensive against the PKK, is viewed with suspicion by Erdogan’s critics. Erdogan began his offensive against the PKK and Daesh but devoted much more firepower to airstrikes on PKK's bases along Turkey's border with Iraq and Syria than to air raids on Daesh.
According to state media, more than 120 soldiers and police have been killed in bomb and shooting attacks since July. The government claims that Turkish troops have killed over a thousand militants.
Since the PKK took up arms in 1984, over 40,000 people have been killed in both sides of the conflict. The group has been demanding an independent state for Kurds but has recently narrowed its demands to greater autonomy and cultural rights.
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