ANKARA - Defense Minister Hulusi Akar admitted that Turkey used chemical weapons with the words "to protect human life".
 
Air strikes by Turkey against Northern and Eastern Syria, the Federated Kurdistan Region and Shengal, and chemical weapons attacks in Zap, Metina and Avaşîn regions marked the 2023 budget negotiations of the Ministry of Defense in the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Committee. Referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention in the budget negotiations, Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar confessed chemical weapons once more and said: “If tear gas ammunition is used as a method of warfare, it is prohibited, but in hostage rescue operations, to protect human life and in certain places, on a limited basis...”

TO PROTECT HUMAN LIVES!
 
Upon the question of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Batman MP Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki, Akar said: "This chemical issue has been used and talked about enough in the document mentioned about this tear gas... Friends, there is this Agreement on the Prevention of Chemical Weapons. The Turkish Armed Forces is also in it and its inventory is being audited. I will read this one by one: 'Tear ammunition is prohibited if used as a method of warfare, but in hostage rescue operations, to protect human life and in a limited manner in certain places...' Police also use it, I don't know, it's used in the West and in America too. It can be used unintentionally as any such mass in certain places.”

SIMILAR CONFESSION IN GARÊ
 
Confessing the use of chemical weapons in his parliamentary briefing speech on the Garê Operation on February 10, 2021, in which 13 soldiers and policemen lost their lives, Akar also said: "Only tear gas was used. Apart from this, there is no question of using any weapons or ammunition.”