Mehmet Altay Tokat (born 18 June 1940) is a retired
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities ...
general. He served in south-eastern Turkey (
OHAL
The OHAL region ( tr, Olağanüstü Hâl Bölge Valiliği, lit=Governorship of Region in State of Emergency) was a "super-region" created in Turkey under state of emergency legislation, as part of its approach to the Kurdish–Turkish conflict. Fr ...
) in the mid-1990s in the
Turkish-Kurdish conflict, and led
Operation Hammer (1997)
Operation Hammer ( tr, Çekiç Harekâtı) was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 12 May and 7 July 1997 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The operation's objectives were to destroy PKK u ...
into northern Iraq against
PKK
The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southea ...
. He retired in 1999.
Radikal
''Radikal'' () was a daily liberal Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. From 1996 it was published by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group. Although Radikal did not endorse a particular political alignment, it was generally considere ...
, 28 July 2006
Altay Tokat'ın portresi: Üç madalyalı 'Çekiç' komutanı
/ref> After his retirement he joined the Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has bee ...
, and served on its Central Executive Board.
In 2006 Tokat made remarks in an interview with ''Yeni Aktüel
''Yeni Aktüel'' ("New News" in Turkish; increasingly downplays the "Yeni" and may be referred to simply as ''Aktüel'') is a Turkish weekly news magazine.
History and profile
The magazine was established in 1991 by Ercan Arıklı. The first is ...
'' about ordering grenades to be thrown near the homes of public servants who had moved to the region from western Turkey, in order to "acquaint them with the realities of the region". No-one was hurt or injured in the attacks. He compared his actions to the 2005 Åžemdinli incident
The Åžemdinli incident occurred on 9 November 2005 when a bookshop in Åžemdinli, Hakkari Province, Turkey was attacked with grenades. One person died and several were injured in the attack on the Umut bookshop. The attack was carried out by Turkish ...
then under litigation, in which one person died, saying "They were unskillful and inept in Åžemdinli". The remarks led to an investigation, and he was put on trial for "attempting to erode the feeling of trust for commanders and making statements without authorization". The military court dropped the charges in October 2006 when it concluded it did not have the appropriate jurisdiction, and that the matter belonged in a civilian court.[ Hurriyet Daily News, 31 October 2006]
Charges against retired general dropped
/ref>
Tokat graduated from the Turkish Military Academy
The Turkish Military Academy ( tr, Kara Harp Okulu) is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is to develop cadets mentally and ph ...
in 1960.[
Tokat was awarded Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Merit (''TSK Liyakat Madalyası''), (''TSK Üstün Cesaret ve Feragat Madalyası'') and Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Achievement (''TSK Başarı Madalyası'').][
]
Books
* ''Mücadele ve Çözüm (PKK Bölücü Terörü)'', Nergiz Yayınları, 2013
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokat, Altay
Living people
Turkish Army generals
Turkish Military Academy alumni
Turkish Gendarmerie personnel
1940 births