UPDATE -Turkish airstrikes cause serious losses to PKK in Iraq

ADDS MORE QUOTES FROM YILDIRIM

By Tolga Albay

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - A Turkish military operation in the Mt. Qandil area of northern Iraq has inflicted heavy losses on the PKK terror group, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday.

“Airstrikes against PKK terrorists in Mt. Qandil have resulted in serious losses to the terror group, including members of its leadership,” said Yildirim, speaking in a live interview with private broadcaster CNN Turk.

Turkey has been conducting a counter-terrorism operation in the area to clear it of PKK terrorists.

On Turkey’s agreement with the U.S. over a joint action plan to clear Manbij in northwestern Syria of terrorists, Yildirim regarded it as “a positive step”.

“We are in favor of solving issues with the U.S. by talking. We don’t want to sever our ties,” he added.

-Turkey-US relations

On relations between Turkey and the U.S., Yildirim said: “I hope that relations will not become more tense because Turkey is an established NATO member, the most powerful country after the U.S.”

“Such a contradiction among NATO [members], a conflict environment, would significantly affect NATO’s power and effectiveness in the region,” he added.

Ankara and Washington have been at odds over several issues, including a recent decision by the U.S. Senate to block the sale of F-35 aircraft to Turkey.

On Monday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which includes an amendment prohibiting sales to Turkey of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, citing its purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Russia and detaining of U.S. citizens as the reasons.