Gülen expresses condolences for Turkish soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has expressed his condolences to the families of 12 soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last week, saying they were there to help restore peace in a war-torn country.
Gülen said Turkish soldiers, who have fought tooth and nail against terrorism for years, have been serving to restore peace in the friendly and brotherly country of Afghanistan, which has always sided with Turkey in difficult times. He added that the service of Turkish soldiers in the region is noteworthy.
A Turkish military helicopter crashed into a home near the Afghan capital last Friday, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground. It was by far the deadliest incident involving Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan, where they have a noncombatant role.
The helicopter, a Sikorsky, was on a mission for US-led NATO forces when it went down near Kabul, the Turkish military said in a statement.
Turkey has about 1,800 troops in Afghanistan and leads NATO operations in the province of Kabul. The force has suffered relatively few casualties because of its noncombatant role. In 2009, two Turkish soldiers, one of them a colonel, were killed in a traffic accident in northern Afghanistan.
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