In US, Turkish deputy foreign minister highlights Türkiye’s role in fighting Daesh/ISIS

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Türkiye’s deputy foreign minister on Monday stressed the country’s invaluable contributions to the fight against Daesh/ISIS, also decrying the destabilizing actions in the region of the terrorist group PKK/YPG.

At a Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS ministerial meeting in Washington, D.C., Nuh Yilmaz "once again emphasized the unique and concrete contributions that Türkiye has made to this fight since the beginning," said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

He also highlighted that "the PKK terrorist organization and its extensions have become the most serious destabilizing factor in Syria and Iraq," the ministry said on X.

Türkiye opposes US support for the YPG due to its affiliation with the PKK, which has waged a terror campaign against Türkiye for 40 years, resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants, according to official figures.

While the US considers the YPG – also known by acronyms such as the SDF – a key partner in the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Syria, it does not recognize the YPG as a terrorist group although it does acknowledge the PKK as such.

This issue remains a major sticking point in relations between the two NATO allies.

The US-led Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS was formed in September 2014 to fight the terror group in Iraq and Syria. The coalition has members from nearly 87 countries and organizations.