Turkey on Sunday rejected latest claims by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Ankara’s anti-terror operations in northern Iraq for making propaganda on behalf of the PKK terrorists.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy stated in a statement that it was “shameful” that the USCIRF criticized Turkey’s struggle towards terrorism and have become an “instrument” within the propaganda of the PKK terror group.
Aksoy accused the USCIRF of ignoring the oppression perpetrated by the PKK in Iraq and YPG/PKK in Syria towards the area’s individuals, together with Kurds who didn’t embrace its separatist coverage and terrorist strategies.
In the statement, he stated hundreds of Yazidis have been unable to return to their houses in Sinjar, northwestern Iran due to the PKK that lodged itself within the area beneath the pretext of combating the Daesh terror group.
Underlining that so-called human rights defenders have to date ignored these details, it stated Turkey didn’t settle for the USCIRF’s claims which have distorted the reality.
The USCIRF final Friday alleged that Turkey focused fragile areas in northern Iraq significantly threatening Yazidi households trying to return to their houses within the city of Sinjar.
Turkey’s Operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger have been launched earlier final week to make sure the security of the Turkish individuals and borders by neutralizing the specter of the PKK and different terrorist teams.
As a part of Operation Claw-Tiger, which was launched a couple of days after Operation Claw-Eagle, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has to date destroyed greater than 500 PKK targets in northern Iraq’s Haftanin area to date. As a part of the most recent replace on the operation, it has additionally been reported that three PKK terrorists have been killed on Friday.
Turkey has lengthy been stressing that it’s going to not tolerate threats posed to its nationwide safety and has referred to as on Iraqi officers to take the mandatory steps to get rid of the terrorists. Ankara beforehand famous that if the anticipated steps will not be taken, it might not shrink back from focusing on the group. Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) additionally beforehand referred to as the PKK’s presence in Sinjar unacceptable and urged the militants to depart the world.
The TSK usually conducts cross-border operations targetting the PKK’s hideouts and bases in northern Iraq, from which they perform assaults in Turkey.
In its greater than 30-year terror marketing campaign towards Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU – has been accountable for the deaths of practically 40,000 individuals, together with girls, youngsters, and infants.
