Turkish presidential aide slams New York Times article

Turkish presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın on Saturday criticized a New York Times article, calling it an attempt to "justify and whitewash PKK terrorism."

"This is not journalism. This is a blatant attempt by New York Times to justify and whitewash PKK terrorism," Kalın wrote on Twitter.

His remarks came after the New York Times published a piece in which it described a PKK terrorist killed in northern Iraq as "a hero."

"By the same logic, Bin Laden was a 'hero' to some?! Would you call Milosevic and Mladic also 'heros' to some people?!," the presidential aide said.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children.