Kurds Threaten to Leave US Alone in Ground Struggle against IS

• 08.19.2015, 18:18
•  Near East,  World

Clashes between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish security forces have spread in towns, southeast of Turkey, with curfews declared in several provinces. As violence continues news of fatalities from both sides become of frequent nature. Hurriyet Daily reports about several deaths among the Turkish military in Diyarbekır province.

At the same time the number of killed militants among the PKK grows. According to several sources, more than 260 PKK fighters have been killed. Hundreds of people were injured.

Turkish authorities carried out anti-terrorist operations in 34 provinces of the country. More than 1300 people have been arrested.

There are also victims among the peaceful population. Turkish air strike caused civilian deaths in a village in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq. Iraqi Kurdish news website Rudaw informs about 10 civilians killed and 11 others injured in the attack. More than 80 families had to leave their homes. Turkish authorities deny this information, instead noting that their jets raided only PKK targets in northern Iraq.

The actions of the international community are limited to pure warnings. In their statements Western countries stress Turkey’s right of self-defense, which gives ground to assume that the West is leaving its main partner alone in struggle against the Islamic State.

Official Bagdad condemns the actions of Turkey demanding to respect its sovereignty. In their turn the authorities of  Kurdistan in Iraq have engaged in more cautious politics asking PKK to leave the territory under Kurdish sovereignty in Iraq to avoid civilian casualties.   

Kurds still hope that Western countries can help them to overcome their disputes with the Turkish state. In an interview with Telegraph, Cemil Bayik, one of the three-man interim leadership council of the PKK, noted it would accept a ceasefire under US guarantees:

"I call on us US to act as a mediator between us and Turkey, and if they give us a guarantee we accept them as a mediator".

Otherwise, he warned that the US will lose its main partner in ground struggle against the IS.