US won’t support PKK participation in Mosul battle: Spokesperson
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) –
The US views the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terrorist
organization, and will not support the participation of the group in
Mosul operation, said the US State Department spokesperson on Thursday.
Mark Toner stated that the Washington
will not support PKK to play a role in the military operation of
liberating Mosul from the Islamic State (IS).
“We clearly view the PKK as a terrorist
organization, so we would not be supportive,” Toner said during the
daily press briefing.
On Thursday, the spokesperson of Turkey’s President Ibrahim Kalin expressed
Turkey’s concern over the possibility of the PKK’s participation in the
military operation. "Reports that the PKK may take part in the Mosul
operation concern us."
In June 2014, IS occupied Mosul, the
second-largest city in Iraq. Now, Iraqi security forces and Kurdish
Peshmerga with the help of the US-led coalition are preparing to launch
an offensive to clear the city from the jihadist group.
On Thursday, Iraqi Member of Parliament Awatif Na’ima released a statement, asking the PKK to open offices in Baghdad and other provinces in Iraq to officially represent themselves.
“PKK fights Da’esh, a terrorist
organization backed by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the
MP said, using the Arabic pejorative term for IS. “PKK is not a threat
to the security of Iraq at all.”
Regarding Na’ima’s statement, Toner expressed the US was against this move. “Obviously, we would not support that,” Toner said.
The PKK is labeled a terrorist
organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. The
group has waged three decades of insurgency against the Turkish
government in the past.
Source: http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/029e4d24-bc9f-4b2c-bb79-a4eb7cd9db30/US-won%E2%80%99t-support-PKK-participation-in-Mosul-battle--Spokesperson
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