Erdogan says there is no difference between Daesh, Boko Haram and FETO

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that he sees no difference between terrorists groups such as Daesh, the FETO - the group held responsible for last year’s coup attempt in Turkey - and Boko Haram, another terrorist group that has plagued Nigeria.

Addressing a joint press conference at the presidential complex in Ankara alongside his visiting Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari, Erdogan said, “I would like to express that there is no difference between FETO, Daesh, and Boko Haram, no matter what they serve or claim or their name – all of them are gangs of murderers who feed on the blood of innocents.”

Boko Haram, which is based in northeastern Nigeria and is affiliated with Daesh, has killed thousands of people and displaces 2.3 million from their homes according to the UN and Amnesty International. 

In the Global Terrorism Index, Boko Haram was also ranked the deadliest terror group in 2015.

Erdogan stated that the fight against FETO is not just for Turkey, but helps Turkey’s friends as well.

US-based leader Fetullah Gulen and his network which Ankara calls the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) are held responsible for the thwarted coup attempt of July 15, 2016, took 250 lives and injured 2,200 people.

FETO has had a considerable global presence, including private educational institutions in Africa that have said to serve as a revenue stream for the terrorist group.

Turkey is trying to take over all FETO-affiliated schools across Africa, having done so in many Asian countries.