The move follows a week in which violence in Turkey was blamed on both organizations - who are themselves staunch rivals.
A White House spokesman said Sunday Ankara was within its rights to "take action related to terrorist targets," including when it struck a Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) town overnight Friday in northern Iraq, marking the first offensive against the outlawed Kurdish group there since a peace accord was announced in 2013.
Meantime, NATO said it will meet on Tuesday to discuss security at Turkey's request.
The PKK said its peace deal with Ankara had lost all meaning after the airstrikes.
The Turkish army is blaming Kurdish rebels for a car bombing late Saturday that killed two soldiers in the Kurdish-dominated southeast amid escalating tensions between the government and the separatist group.
The Kurds are separately fighting Islamic State militants encroaching on their cities in Iraq and Syria, and has accused the Turkish government of being complicit in support of IS fighters.
Turkey joined military efforts against IS in recent days, in a long-awaited move by Western and regional coalition partners who have been bombing the extremist group since August.
On Twitter, a top U.S. official for the country's anti-Islamic State efforts dismissed a relationship between the offensives against the PKK and Islamic State rebels, known also as ISIL.
"There is no connection between these airstrikes against PKK and recent understandings to intensify U.S.-Turkey cooperation against ISIL," Brett McGurk wrote.
Washington has pushed for broader regional support against Islamic State. White House spokesman Ben Rhodes, on an official visit to Kenya with President Barack Obama, told a news conference in Nairobi on Sunday that Ankara's decision to join militarily can lead towards an "even broader and more effective effort to degrade the ISIL safe haven across northern Syria and northern Iraq."..............http://www.voanews.com/content/us-backs-turkey-strikes-against-is-pkk/2879132.html
26/7/15
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The U.S. has defended Turkey's right to self-defense, in reference to a recent wave of terrorist attacks...
ReplyDelete"We strongly condemn the (pro-Kurdish terrorist organization) PKK’s recent terrorist attacks within Turkey, and respect our NATO ally Turkey’s right to self-defense," National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said in a written statement.
On Friday night and Saturday, Turkish air forces bombed, for the first time in the last two-and-a-half years, PKK camps in northern Iraq.Turkey also launched this week attacks against Daesh in Syria.
Turkey’s operation targeting the PKK comes after a string of attacks against Turkish security forces in the country’s southeastern region, believed to have been carried out by the outlawed organization.
The new wave of tension is feared to pose a severe blow to what is known in Turkey as the “solution process”, during which the PKK declared a cease-fire in 2013.
Baskey also called on PKK to renounce terrorism and engage with government as part of the "solution process".
"We call on the PKK, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization, to renounce terrorism and re-engage in talks with the Government of Turkey." he added.
"We urge de-escalation by both sides and encourage everyone to remain committed to the peaceful ‘solution process’ to bring about a just and sustainable peace for all Turkish citizens. Violence does not contribute to long-term security and development that benefits all of Turkey’s citizens."
The solution process was launched to end the decades-old conflict with the outlawed PKK, a dispute which has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people over more than 30 years in Turkey.
Earlier in the day, U.S. President Barack Obama’s envoy, Brett McGurk, strongly condemned the PKK’s attacks and said the U.S. fully respects “Turkey’s right to self-defense”..............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/562695--us-backs-turkeys-right-to-self-defense
EU calls on Turkey to preserve cease-fire with PKK, continue settlement process...
ReplyDeleteHigh Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini called Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Sunday and encouraged the Turkish government to pursue the continuation of the settlement process with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
During the phone conversation, Mogherini offered condolences on behalf of the EU to the Turkish government and the families of the victims of last Monday's bombing in Suruç, in addition to condolences for last week's attacks against Turkish police and members of the military. She reaffirmed Europe's support of Turkey's efforts to step up the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to the fight against any form of terrorism.
At the same time, Mogherini underlined the fundamental importance of keeping the settlement process with Turkey's Kurdish population alive and on track. The EU representative affirmed that terrorist groups must not be allowed to spoil the process and that the cease-fire must be preserved. She continued by saying that any action taken should avoid the risk of endangering the cease-fire and the Kurdish peace process.
Mogherini announced on Twitter later on Sunday that she also called pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş.......todayszaman.com
Turkish warplanes took off Sunday evening for a new wave of air raids on bases of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, according to Turkish media reports...
ReplyDeleteThe first round of bombardments, which were unleashed late Friday, has threatened to unravel a fragile truce between the two sides.
AFP
Ambassadors of all 28 NATO allies are set to meet in Brussels on Tuesday following Ankara’s request, amid Turkey’s police operations against terrorist organizations, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Sunday...
ReplyDeleteUnder Article 4 of the NATO treaty, any member country can request consultations whenever it feels its security is under threat.
NATO said in a statement on Sunday: "Turkey requested the meeting in view of the seriousness of the situation after the heinous terrorist attacks in recent days, and also to inform Allies of the measures it is taking."
"NATO Allies follow developments very closely and stand in solidarity with Turkey," the statement added.
Over eight hundred people have been detained across Turkey in three days of police raids against terrorist organizations. Detentions have taken place mostly in eastern provinces, after a string of attacks over the week touched off by a deadly blast in southeastern Suruc that killed 32 people last Monday.
aa.com.tr