Erdogan: Turkey, Iran Discussed Joint Action against PKK

Local Editor

A week after high-level Turkish and Iranian military officials met in Ankara, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering a joint operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK].

"Joint action against terrorist groups that have become a threat is always on the agenda. This issue has been discussed between the two military chiefs, and I discussed more broadly how this should be carried out," Reuters quoted Erdogan as telling reporters before boarding a plane bound for Jordan on an official visit.

The PKK through its armed People's Defense Force [HPG] in Turkey has resumed its 33-year armed guerrilla fight against the Turkish government, while its offshoot, the Kurdistan Free Life Party [PJAK] have engaged with occasional skirmishes with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC].

Meanwhile, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Erdogan had spoken with the Islamic Republic's Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Hossein Bagheri about "joint action against terrorist groups" during last week's meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara.

Tasnim added that Erdogan also said it is possible to conduct a joint operation with Iran against PKK positions in Shingal and Qandil.

Bagheri, Iran's military chief, made a rare visit to Ankara, the first such visit since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979, as he discussed the developments in Iraq and Syria with Turkish counterpart and president Erdogan.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team