ANKARA
The Turkish government has set up a center to facilitate the coordination response in case of emergencies, following the deadly pro-Kurdish violence which hit the country this past month, said the deputy PM.
"The Prime Ministry Coordination Center will go into service upon the order of the prime minister and will cease operations when the development leading to the emergency ends," said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc following Monday night's Council of Ministers' meeting chaired by Ahmet Davutoglu.
The government introduced last week a bill on domestic security giving additional power to law enforcement agencies, in order to prevent crime and handle massive acts of violence more rapidly and more effectively.
Arinc maintained that the coordination center would be effective as of Tuesday.
It will operate under the guise of the Interior Ministry in case of domestic incidents and under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for events occurring abroad.
"In more complex situations, the center can cooperate with other ministries," he added.
The minister noted that the emergency coordination center would be chaired by the undersecretary of the prime minister or one of the deputy undersecretaries.
Three soldiers were shot dead on Saturday afternoon by two masked terrorists in the eastern Turkish province of Hakkari.
Nearly 40 people and two policemen had been killed during violent "illegal" pro-Kurdish protests earlier this month, ostensibly held to show solidarity with Syria's ISIL-besieged Kurdish-populated town of Kobani.
The protesters took to the streets across the country, saying Turkish government was allegedly doing nothing to halt the advance of ISIL militants pouring into Kobani.
The protests also left scores of vehicles, state buildings, party offices and shops damaged or burnt.
- Explosives truck hijacked by terrorists
Arinc also made remarks over the seizure of a coal mine truck loaded with about 400 kilograms of explosives earlier on Monday by members from the outlawed PKK in the Silopi district of the southeastern Sirnak province.
He said the hijacking had been professionally planned, and reconnaissance aircrafts, attack helicopters and gendarmerie commando units were currently searching the area.
"The truck was detected as heading towards Mount Judi (a 2,089-meter peak north of Silopi)," he added.
On October 10, three Chinese workers were released in Sirnak after more than a month-long hostage by the outlawed PKK.
They were kidnapped from a thermal power plant on August 25 as they were going to shop near the Gorumlu municipality.
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