Turkish PM cancels Germany trip after Turkish helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has canceled his trip to Germany where he was supposed to attend several events to attend a funeral ceremony of 12 Turkish soldiers killed in Afghanistan in a helicopter crash, a statement in the Prime Ministry web-site said late on Friday, Today's Zаman reported. A Turkish military helicopter crashed into a house near the Afghan capital on Friday, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground. It was by far the deadliest incident involving Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan, where they have a noncombat role. The helicopter, a Sikorsky, was on a mission for US-led NATO forces when it went down near Kabul, the Turkish military said in a statement. Iran, the US and Afghanistan extended their condolences to Turkey over the incident. In Germany, supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and a number of Alevi organizations were planning to stage a demonstration in Bochum on Saturday in protest of Erdoğan. It was not immediately clear if the demonstrations are canceled. Erdoğan was supposed to depart for Germany on Saturday, his first overseas trip following two surgeries on his digestive tract, to participate in a youth workshop in Cologne and to attend the Der Steiger award ceremony to accept an award for international leadership, which is granted annually to individuals who are noteworthy for their achievements in such areas as politics, media, sports and environment. Erdoğan would accept the award from former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.