ANKARA (CÝHAN) - The Turkish General Staff vowed to keep fighting terrorism and fundamentalism.
The Turkish Chief of General Staff Hilmi Özkök said in a message released Monday to mark 165th anniversary of the Gendarmerie General Commandership that the Turkish army would continue to fight against separatist terror activities and cynical fundamentalist reactionaries.
"The Turkish Armed Forces will root out the efforts of the separatist terror organizations that are trying to weaken the Turkish republic," Özkök said message, the Turkish papers write on Tuesday.
"No one can achieve their goals with terrorism. The Turkish army, impartial to interior and exterior influences, is determined to guarantee the safety of the Turkish Republic against the separatist terrorism and fundamentalism."
The PKK/KONGRA-GEL called off its unilateral six-year ceasefire in early June. The outlawed terror organization PKK/KONGRA-GEL turned down calls from the recently released former MPs of the pro-Kurdish DEHAP party to reinstate the truce.
Tension and violence in the southeastern region of Turkey has escalated recently since the end the ceasefire. Five members of the security forces, four village guards and five terrorists have been killed in recent weeks.