Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed his interior minister Idris Naim Shahin due to his improper description of the death of 34 civilians in an airstrike launched against Kurdish separatists along Iraqi border in 2011.
Former governor of Istanbul Muammer Guler is reported to be successor-in-waiting to Shahin after Thursday’s move. The education, health, and tourism ministers were also replaced on Thursday.
Sahin came under fire after he described the 2011 deaths of civilians as an “experience” for Turkish security forces.
The reshuffle coincides with the start of a fresh round of peace talks between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to end nearly three decades of conflict.
The Turkish government and the PKK recently agreed on a peace roadmap under which Turkey would grant wider rights to the 15-million-strong Kurds.
The Kurdish fighters demand that Turkey recognize Kurdish identity in its new Constitution. They also want the release of hundreds of activists imprisoned for links to the PKK.
The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s.
Clashes between Turkish forces and PKK fighters have intensified in recent months.
KA/HN
