Turkish Defense Minister: 'Joint US-PKK' drills unacceptable

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Dec 2023 20:59
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Kurdish militants reportedly received training on the use of helicopters by US occupation forces, the Turkish defense minister said.

A US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces armed groups fighter stands on his armored vehicle, at al-Sabha town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, Syria, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler on Saturday expressed Ankara's strong disapproval of the US military exercises with the Kurdish militant group PKK in Syria, a group recognized by Ankara as a terrorist organization. He emphasized that Turkey is closely monitoring the situation.

Turkish newspaper Gercek Gundem reported on Thursday, citing sources from the Turkish Defense Ministry, that Turkey is closely monitoring US activities in Syria concerning the PKK.

"None of their actions with PKK terrorists are acceptable. I have said before that they are training terrorists to use helicopters. Last week, they conducted exercises with terrorists again. We are closely monitoring every event. This situation is unacceptable," the Sabah newspaper quoted Guler as saying.

The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkish authorities due to its objective of establishing an independent Kurdish state in certain areas of Turkish territory.

This comes amid a surge of operations carried out by resistance groups across the Arab region on US occupation bases and warships.

Particularly in Syria and Iraq, the Iraqi resistance has been targeting US occupation bases frequently due to US complicity in the Gaza genocide.

On December 9, the Pentagon said that the rate of attacks against the US military in Iraq and Syria has increased by 45% in the last three weeks.

Just moments ago, Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in Baghdad reported the targeting of US occupation forces at the al-Malikiyah bases and the Qunaytirah oilfield, northeast of Syria.

He further noted that US forces at the al-Omar oilfield base in the countryside of Deir Ezzor were targeted.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement in November that the struggle of the Palestinian people "in the face of the brutality of the Zionists, supported by the latest US military and intelligence machines, in addition to the support of England, France, and other Western countries, would not have been possible without their patience and belief in the necessity of regaining their rights stolen from the usurping entity."

They also blamed the US for depriving the Palestinian people of their most basic rights and freedom while also supporting the aggression against them, including but not limited to the besieging of Gaza, cutting off supplies of water, food, and medicine, the destruction of buildings, displacing civilians, storming and bombing mosques and hospitals, and killing women and children.