‘PKK aims to destabilize both Turkey, Iraq’

By Ali Makram Ghareeb

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) - The PKK terror group aims to destabilize both Turkey and Iraq, an Iraqi official said Thursday

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Lilyen Muhammad, the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) party’s Mosul deputy, pointed to the PKK’s presence in Mosul and Sinjar in northern Iraq, which threatens Iraqi sovereignty.

The terror group’s presence in the region compels Turkey to carry out cross-border operations for the sake of border security and stability, she noted.

Stressing the gravity of the threat posed by the PKK, Muhammad said that Turkey and Iraq, as neighboring countries, should cooperate in the security field to end the terror group’s presence in northern Iraq.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

The terror group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Turkey's southern border, to plot terrorist attacks in Turkey.

​​​​​​​*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk