AKP generous with lip service, but Turkish soldiers need more
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party is glorifying military "martyrdom" in an attempt to steer civilian-military relations into support for the government.
Since the Kurdish peace process collapsed in June, the death toll has been steadily mounting. Although there are no official numbers for casualties, on Jan. 21 it was reported that in the last seven months of 2015, Turkey lost 218 military personnel. The number of losses in the first 20 days of 2016 was reported as 24.
It would be no exaggeration to say that almost every day, Turkish TVs broadcast funeral scenes. In most cases, senior Turkish government officials are present. Before the November elections, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was criticized for his remarks glorifying martyrdom and using the funeral scenes to his political advantage. Since the elections we still see a heavy presence by senior AKP members at these funerals. In a recent drunk-driving accident, the police officer who was killed was given a martry’s funeral in the presence of a provincial governor, mayor and high-ranking military officers.
