Yesterday's visit by PM Erdogan with the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty was an unexpected one. Accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and State Minister Besir Atalay, Erdogan posed with the relatives of soldiers killed during clashes in the country's southeastern regions.

"The fallen soldiers are our everything..."

Some of the PM's words to the families were as follows: "The fallen soldiers are our everything. They do not even need our intercession....Our fallen soldiers walk hand in hand with the Prophet Muhammed. There is no bigger reward than this. On the contrary, we need their intercession. At some times, our mothers and fathers feel sadness. But the joy of parenting youth who have achieved this rank in death should also be experienced and recognized. To die in the line of duty is a station, a posting which has no end of beginning. It is a process."

PM Erdogan would not allow a reporter present at the meeting to finish a question about the Kurdish situation. Instead, he cut the reporter short, saying "This is not a press conference or an interview. I want to listen to the families of these fallen soldiers. Leave us alone."