By Mesut Zeyrek

COLOGNE, Germany

The cases of attacks targeting mosques in Germany should be solved as soon as possible, said the head of Turkey's religious affairs authority on Saturday.

Speaking to journalists ahead of a conference in Cologne, Ali Erbas, head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, said that Germany should take necessary measures to prevent such attacks on mosques.

“The sanctity of holy places is very important for us. Not only mosques, but also churches, synagogues, and the holy places of whatever religion have inviolability,” he added, calling on people to take care to protect such places.

At least 40 mosque attacks have been recorded since the beginning of this year in Germany.

The PYD/PKK terrorist group and far-left groups have claimed responsibility for more than two dozen attacks since the Jan. 20 launch of the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, northwestern Syria against YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists.

The attacks have targeted Turkish mosques, associations, and shops in various cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Aachen.

In most of the incidents, German police have failed to arrest the perpetrators.

The PKK has been banned in Germany since 1993, but it remains active, with nearly 14,000 followers in the country.

Ankara has long criticized Berlin for not taking serious measures against the PKK, which uses the country as a platform for their fund-raising, recruitment, and propaganda activities.

Germany has a 3 million-strong Turkish community, many of whom are second- and third-generation German-born citizens whose Turkish grandparents moved to the country as “guest workers” during the 1960s.