Tens of thousands of Turks in cities across the nation as well as army officers and local governors attended the Sunday funerals of the 15 soldiers.
One soldier, Hasan Aygör, was buried in the village of Armutlu in Kırıkkale, in a funeral attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Navy Commander Adm. Metin Ataç, Land Forces Commander Gen. Işık Koşaner and thousands of Kırıkkale residents. Thousands waving flags chanted anti-terror slogans.

President Abdullah Gül attended the funeral of Sgt. 1st Class Hasan Önal, also killed in Saturday's attack, in the city of Eskişehir.

Gendarmerie Privates Çağlar Mengü and Oktay Karakelle were buried in İstanbul after a funeral at Maltepe Yusuf Ziya Üçüncü Mosque. Thousands also gathered there, protesting the PKK and praying for the martyrs despite the incessant rain.

Rasim Eser, another soldier killed in the attack, was buried in the district of Silifke in Mersin province. Thousands paid their final respects.

Another soldier, Ozan Onur İlgen, was laid to rest in his hometown of Adana after a funeral at Sabancı Central Mosque. Pvt. Davut İlbaş was buried in his hometown of Siirt. Pvt. Selçuk Can was interred in Osmaniye.

Ranger İlhan Küçüksağol was buried in Kocaeli, Ranger Pvt. Halil İbrahim Aralık in Denizli, Pvt. Hakkı Aran in Diyarbakır, Pvt. Ramazan Yeşil in Antalya, Sgt. 1st Class Cahit Yıldırım in Kırıkkale and Pvt. Maj. Muhammet Aydemir in Artvin and Special Gendarmerie Sgt. Egemen Yıldız in İzmir.

Protests nationwide

Dozens of flag-waving protesters gathered outside Parliament early Sunday, chanting, "Down with the PKK." The protesters also denounced members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), which is facing closure on charges of ties to the terrorist PKK.

The Union of Architects' and Engineers' Chambers (TMMOB) released a statement yesterday regarding the Saturday attack, with board director Mehmet Soğancı saying: "Our call is to everyone on the side of human beings. Let's stand against violence, attacks, conflicts, guns and bloodshed. Let us silence the guns."

Soğancı's statement expressed the feeling that the deaths of the 15 soldiers had caused great pain to the entire nation. "Every bullet fired, every bomb detonated, every mine exploding, every attack and armed clash is a blow to the hope of living together in peace and in unity in Turkey," he said, noting that his union had stated tens of times that the voice of peace could not be heard over the sound of guns.

He called on everyone to support democracy, freedom and living together in peace in the face of authoritarianism, nationalism and a culture of lynching and oppression. "It is time to defend living together in an equal, free and democratic Turkey, and to carry out a struggle for this," he said.

The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) also released a statement highlighting that the issue of terrorism was too complicated to be resolved by simply deploying troops along the border. The statement called for implementing "more realistic domestic and foreign policy, an exercise of power independent of the tolerance of foreign powers, and legislation that does not overlook the principle of rule of law."

Another protest was staged in the southeastern city of Mardin. In a rally organized by the Assistance and Solidarity Association for Temporary Village Guards and Martyr Families and public television workers' union Haber-Sen, nearly a thousand people waving Turkish flags shouted slogans against the PKK, its leader Abdullah Öcalan and terrorism.

TODAY'S ZAMAN