VAN - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that terrorists would not be able to achieve their goals and would die out in their own blood.
Speaking at a military ceremony held in eastern province of Van for the soldiers who were killed in the terrorist attack in southeastern province of Hakkari, Erdogan said, "11 heros will be laid to eternal rest today. We have a very deep sorrow but we don't and will not bow our heads. We will not show our tears and make those traitors happy."
Erdogan said Turkey has never gave in by violence and would never be afraid of them.
"Such kind of bloody attacks will not be able to divert the direction of our nation to grow and to be a strong and estimable country. Those heinous attacks will not be able to wear out our solidarity and fraternity and disrupt our determination of the security forces. We will defend those territories heroically," he said.
"We are not living on an ordinary piece of land. This territory is different, it is holy. This territory is a part of 73 million people. It is our homeland. There is the blood of martyrs in every piece of this territory," he said.
"Every individual of this nation fought for independence and mixed the cement of this nation and country," Erdogan said.
Nine soldiers were killed and 14 of them were injured in a terrorist attack on a military outpost in Semdinli early on Saturday, whereas two soldiers died and two others were wounded as they stepped on a land mine in pursuit of the terrorists who attacked the military outpost. Twelve terrorists were killed.
(AY)