Published January 16,2024
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Türkiye won’t shrink from taking extra steps if one of many authorities events in northern Iraq‘s Kurdish area fails to vary its supportive perspective in the direction of PKK terrorists, the Turkish international minister mentioned on Tuesday.
“We will not hesitate to take further measures if the PUK does not change its supportive attitude towards the PKK despite our sanctions against Sulaymaniyah in Iraq,” mentioned Hakan Fidan, talking of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) social gathering, the junior associate within the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).
Addressing the Turkish parliament, Fidan mentioned a session course of with Iraqi authorities continues, with nice efforts being made to assist their evolving understanding of PKK terrorists.
He reiterated that Türkiye won’t depart the separatist terrorist group anywhere to really feel secure alongside its borders or elsewhere.
Underlining that the PKK needed to carry its actions primarily throughout the border as the fear group misplaced floor in Türkiye, he mentioned his nation took “important and new steps” in its counter-terrorism technique.
“We shape our counter-terrorism diplomacy by taking into account the fact that the PKK has an armed presence in Syria, Iraq and Iran and has a political foot in many countries, especially in Europe. In this context, we position our efforts to destroy the PKK’s presence in Syria and Iraq at the center of our regional relations,” he mentioned.
He added that the group gained floor by benefiting from the “power vacuum and political division in Syria and Iraq.”
Mountainous areas in Iraq resembling Qandil and Metina, in addition to civilian settlements in Sinjar, Makhmur, Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk have additionally develop into areas the place the fear group has a presence.
“PKK also exploited the power vacuum created by Daesh/ISIS (terror group) losing its presence in Iraq and shifted its influence to these areas,” he mentioned, including that PKK additionally continues its partial cooperation with Daesh/ISIS within the area.
The worldwide coalition established in Syria primarily based on opposition to the regime developed over time into cooperation with the PKK beneath the guise of combating in opposition to Daesh, he mentioned, including that, the PKK has come to regulate one-third of Syria.
PKK terrorists usually cover out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border assaults in Türkiye.
Fidan’s remarks got here within the wake of recent PKK assaults in latest days taking the lives of 21 Turkish troopers, adopted by fierce Turkish assaults on terrorist targets in northern Iraq and Syria.
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022 to focus on the PKK terror group’s hideouts in Iraq’s northern Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan areas close to the Turkish border.
It was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding out in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border assaults in Türkiye.
In its greater than 35-year terror marketing campaign in opposition to Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist group by Türkiye, the U.S., UK, and EU — has been accountable for the deaths of greater than 40,000 individuals, together with ladies, kids, and infants. The YPG is the terrorist PKK’s Syrian department.
Source: www.anews.com.tr