A senior Turkish general says Turkey and Iran have carried out coordinated strikes against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq. Over the past few months, Turkey has reportedly intensified its attacks against bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
The deputy head of Turkey's armed forces General Ilker Basbug told Turkish television that Turkish forces have collaborated with Iran in attacking bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq, and will do so again if necessary.
In the past, Turkey and Iran have pledged to cooperate against the rebels, but the general's comment is the first confirmation that the two countries have been working together against the PKK, and PJAK, the group's Iranian wing.
International relations expert, Soli Ozel of Bilgi University says the cooperation is a watershed in Turkey's fight against the PKK. "Turkey bombed PJAK that is the anti Iranian Kurdish organization and it flew into the region using Iranian airspace," he said. "That tells you volumes what is cooking about PKK PJAK because PJAK is the twin of PKK for Iran." |