Page 263 - America's Failure to Perceive the PKK

find it best to hide their children or use everything they have, despite
their poor financial standing, to send their children to distant cities.
The PKK has gained a foothold in the cities and not only does it mar-
tyr our police, soldiers and citizens but also takes our children to the
mountains, and surprisingly, this seemingly cannot be prevented.

Miroğlu narrates his experiences in Dargeçit, Mardin, during his
election campaign as a candidate of the AK Party:

We recently paid a visit to our regional office and only 20 peo-
ple came to welcome us. Fear can get the best of people. The
AK Party will get its share of votes from this town but people
whose houses are under attack with bombs and gunfire

almost everyday are under so much pressure that they are
not able even to say hello in broad daylight to their repre-
sentatives whom they will vote for and send to the par-
liament.

I don't know about my colleagues, but for one moment, I felt
like I had passed the border of South Korea and entered
North Korea for my election campaign. I have so many
friends in this town. If it wasn't for this nightmare hovering
over the town, I have no doubt that they would welcome us as
early as the entrance of the town... 100

The terrible consequences of this reign of fear became visible fol-

lowing the June 7, 2015 general elections; eastern Turkey up to North-
eastern Anatolia was delivered into the hands of the KCK. This horri-
ble structure that has taken almost entire control of Southeastern Ana-

The PKK militants are on the
streets now. Southeastern
people have been living under
the pressure of the PKK
terrorists for a long time.

261