Turkey will continue to fight against terrorism relentlessly, President Erdoğan told journalists after Friday prayers, referring to Thursday’s PKK terror attack on a vehicle that killed seven civilians and injured nine others in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
The terrorist attack took place in Diyarbakir's Kulp district at around 6 p.m. (1500GMT), according to the Diyarbakir Governorship.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Voicing support for the many mothers in Diyarbakır staging sit-in protests against the terrorist PKK abducting and trying to recruit their children, Erdoğan said the current number of protesters may swell to the thousands.
Some 28 families are staging a demonstration in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, claiming that the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) forcibly recruited their sons to the terrorist PKK.
The Turkish government has charged the HDP with having numerous links and providing support to the terrorist PKK.
Turning to regional affairs, Erdoğan also said that at a trilateral summit next Monday with Russian and Iranian leaders, he would discuss recent developments in Idlib, Syria -- about 400 miles (250 miles) from Diyarbakir, across Turkey’s southern border.
“We will continue to discuss developments in Idlib, including observation posts and the fight against terror organizations,” he said.
Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib would remain in areas where they were already present, while Russia and Turkey would carry out joint patrols in the area to prevent a resumption of fighting.
The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.
