US anti-ISIS envoy condemns PKK attacks

US President Barack Obama’s envoy to the anti-ISIS (Daesh) coalition “strongly condemned” the PKK’s attacks and fully respected “Turkey’s right to self-defence”.

In a series of tweets sent out Saturday night, Brett McGurk urged Turkey and the illegal Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to de-escalate ongoing hostilities and “remain committed to the peaceful ‘solution process’ for a just and sustainable peace”.

On Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday, Turkish air forces bombed for the first time in the last two-and-a-half years PKK camps in northern Iraq.

Separately, Turkish police have detained a total of 590 people, including at least 37 foreigners, who are suspected of having ties with terrorist groups across Turkey, according to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

The airstrikes and the nationwide anti-terror operation come after 32 people were killed in the southeastern Turkish province of Sanliurfa on Monday in a Daesh-suspected suicide attack. Following the attack, four Turkish police officers were killed in various attacks; the PKK claimed responsibility for at least one of the attacks.

Amid the ongoing hostilities, Turkey finalised on Wednesday its permission for U.S. warplanes to use Turkish bases, including the strategic Incirlik military facility, to carry out airstrikes against Daesh.

McGurk denied that the escalating violence between Turkey and the PKK was linked to the recent understanding.

“There is no connection between these airstrikes against PKK and recent understandings to intensify US-Turkey cooperation against #ISIL [Daesh],” McGurk said.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union.