No 'PKK' in Ministry of National Defense's martyr statement: A signal of a new peace process?

The absence of the terms "PKK" and "terrorist organization" in the Ministry of National Defense's (MSB) statement regarding Specialist Sergeant Önder Özen, who lost his life after stepping on a mine, has drawn attention. Lawyer Hüseyin Özbek highlighted this detail in his article for 12punto.com.tr.

The tragic news of Combat Specialist Sergeant Önder Özen, who was wounded after stepping on a mine/IED during search and clearance activities in the Claw (Hakurk) Operation region in northern Iraq and later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, was announced through an official statement released by the Ministry of National Defense.

The statement included the following: "We wish God's mercy upon our dear martyr who lost his life in this incident that has plunged us into deep pain and sorrow; we extend our condolences and patience to his grieving family, the Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation."

However, the fact that the Ministry of National Defense's text did not use the terms "PKK" or "separatist terrorist organization" has sparked discussions regarding a potential new peace process.

In his column on 12punto.com.tr, lawyer Hüseyin Özbek criticized the situation, stating: "While praises are being sung for Sırrı Süreyya by both the government and the opposition, the Ministry of National Defense evaporating the definition of 'separatist terrorist organization' in its martyr announcements ahead of a second peace process, and recording the martyr's killing as an unsolved case, will undoubtedly be etched into memory as a shameful photograph of today's Turkey!"

Özbek argued that the Ministry of National Defense used "unsolved case" language in its statement and suggested that this could be directly related to a new peace process.