Turks Released In Iraq: We Have Not Seen Any Humane Treatment

SULAYMANIYAH - Turks who were detained together with 11 Turkish soldiers by U.S. forces in north of Iraq on Friday and released late on Sunday complained on Monday that they had not seen any humane treatment when they were under detention.
Deniz Turkkan, working in Epiksan firm who was among the detainees, said that he was working in the region for 18 months and he visited Turkish soldiers that day.
Turkkan noted that although they told U.S. soldiers that they were civilians that day, their hands were tied and they were taken to strange places in Kirkuk by lorries.
They had a night which was hard to believe and accept, Turkkan said, adding that he would continue to work in Iraq despite that incident.
Another Turkish businessman Turgay Tahran said that he was captured by peshmerges in front of the building where Turkish soldiers were present and been handed over to U.S. soldiers.
Nihat Raza, Turkmen security official, said that the U.S. soldiers raided on the office opening fire and throwing gas bombs and they were detained together with Turkish soldiers.
Raza added, ''they did not give us food the first day. Then, they took us to Baghdad by helicopters. We were kept waiting in a refugee camp there. We have not seen any humane treatment.''
(BRC-AÖ) 07.07.2003