The group had even received limited US and European support for the fight against ISIS.
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“They can not stay in this position”.
Three of those killed, among them a teenager, had died in a gun battle, the governor’s office said.
A shaky ceasefire that had stood since 2013 was declared as null by PKK following the Turkish airstrikes against the group, narrowing chances of the two sides reaching a deal in the near future. Since April, the government has denied delegations from the HDP access to the PKK leader, fuelling speculation that Ankara is not interested in easing tensions.
Meanwhile, Iran issued an advisory warning its citizens yesterday to avoid land travel to neighbouring Turkey after an Iranian bus was attacked by gunmen.
Several thousand people marched on Saturday (Aug 8) through the western German city of Cologne in protest at continued Turkish air strikes against Kurdish separatists.
“At first glance, Turkey’s bombardments of the PKK are more a diversion from the war against Isis than a detriment [to it]”, said Dov Friedman, an independent Turkey and Kurdistan analyst, adding “Yet, at a fundamental level, Turkey’s bombings are destabilising to the region”.
The Turkish cabinet has signed a decree that allows the US and ally militaries to use a critical air base in southern Turkey for airstrikes against Islamic radicals in Syria, a senior Turkish diplomat said.
And although Syria and Iraq are the main spheres of activity for the operations of the IS organisation, it is estimated that hundreds of young Turks (who happen to be mostly Kurdish) joined the organisation during the past few years.
Cemil Bayik told the BBC he believed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted IS to succeed to prevent Kurdish gains.
“The PKK’s presence in the region is not legitimate”, Ali was quoted as saying. [President] Erdogan is behind IS massacres.
The factor that may lead to the failure of the latter is the insistence of the CHP on effecting major changes in the Turkish foreign policy vis-a-vis Syria, Egypt and the mashriq as a whole. Turkey has vowed to crack down on its border security.
Turkish jets later hit Kurdish militants in southeastern Turkey after the group fired on security forces, the army said, stepping up a campaign that Ankara has launched in parallel with its strikes on IS, despite the Kurds’ bitter opposition to the jihadists.
“If the aim, as stated by the government, was to clear the border of the IS threat, the operation against IS in Syria appears to be weak and ineffective”, said Serkan Demirtas, columnist for Hurriyet Daily News.
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“A coalition may be formed or not but peace is urgent”. They were killed in a gunbattle on Friday night. The most effective resistance against ISIS has been carried out by Kurdish troops under the command of the PKK.
