Turkish ultranationalists issue call to arms to fight in Mosul

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Supporters of Turkey's ruling party have issued calls to create and arm special "militias" to prepare for battle in Mosul and against Turkey's enemies within.

The call to arms first came from Emin Canpolat, who leads the Ottoman Hearths group - ardent supporters of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its founder, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The group, which was established in 2009, is now believed to have almost two million members nationwide who are committed to the promotion of an Ottoman system of government and way of life. In the past, Ottoman Hearth members have attended AKP rallies wrapped in white burial shrouds, to symbolise their willingness to die for the party.

The group's members also claim to have played a major role in the nightly democracy watches maintained since 15 July, when an attempted military coup was thwarted by the general public.

Edrogan's government has accused the US-based Turkish opposition preacher, Fethullah Gulen, and his followers within the state apparatus of being behind the coup attempt.

TRANSLATION: Erdogan means the nation. One dies for Erdogan, one kills for Erdogan. Those who tried to test this on 15 July saw it for themselves.

The group's call to arms was quickly picked up by others. Twitter user "erdemli-sultan" posted that the AK militia would do what the Turkish military was incapable of doing.

TRANSLATION: The AK militia will do with pump-action [guns] what the Turkish Armed Forces couldn’t do with tanks, artillery and jets. Whether it be Mosul or Jerusalem.

Another user, "Meryem #AK Bayrak", hinted that they were awaiting the chief’s orders to take action.

TRANSLATION: CHIEF, the AK militias are ready. Say shoot so that we shoot, say die so that we die. We won’t leave the nation in the hands of soldiers and police who have sold out. We will go to Mosul, we will go to Aleppo too.

The references to Mosul come as the threat grows of the city being attacked by Shia militia groups allied to the Iraqi army who have been accused of ethnic cleansing and sectarian reprisals in previous battles against the Islamic State group.

Erdogan, in recent speeches, has pointed to the sectarian threat facing up to a million inhabitants of Mosul and has said that the lack of a Turkish presence could have dire consequences for the city’s population.

The Iraqi central government has insisted that Turkey should not have a major role in clearing Mosul of fighters from IS which has governed in Mosul for two years.

Neither the AKP nor Erodgan has ever endorsed the Ottoman Hearths or their activities, but their president, Canpolat, often uses images of himself in the same frame as Erdogan in order to promote himself. Last year, the government in Ankara even sent a circular to state offices warning of people making approaches for favours and citing membership of the Ottoman Hearths and proximity to the ruling party.

There has been no official response to the spread of the messages calling for a taking up of arms but there has been a social media backlash as some people express their concern that such a party militia might be used to intimidate voters.

However, the mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, who is from the AKP is believed to have commented on the arming of civilian groups during a television appearance, saying there is no sense in hiding such a development. "I explain this on every TV station so that it becomes legal. There was an enormous amount of arming," he said, according to the Turkish news site OdaTv. 

"People buy pump-action guns and keep them at home," he said. "If you attempt a coup tomorrow with rifles and Kalashnikovs, won't this person stand up to you with his pump-action?

"He won’t have mercy. They have now understood that the whole world is plotting against us. Do you think they are going to wait for a coup to happen and for them to get killed," Gokcek reportedly asked during the television appearance.