US won’t support PKK participation in Mosul battle: Spokesperson

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The US views the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization, and will not support the participation of the group in Mosul operation, said the US State Department spokesperson on Thursday.

Mark Toner stated that the Washington will not support PKK to play a role in the military operation of liberating Mosul from the Islamic State (IS).

“We clearly view the PKK as a terrorist organization, so we would not be supportive,” Toner said during the daily press briefing.

On Thursday, the spokesperson of Turkey’s President Ibrahim Kalin expressed Turkey’s concern over the possibility of the PKK’s participation in the military operation. "Reports that the PKK may take part in the Mosul operation concern us."

In June 2014, IS occupied Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq. Now, Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga with the help of the US-led coalition are preparing to launch an offensive to clear the city from the jihadist group.

On Thursday, Iraqi Member of Parliament Awatif Na’ima released a statement, asking the PKK to open offices in Baghdad and other provinces in Iraq to officially represent themselves.

“PKK fights Da’esh, a terrorist organization backed by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the MP said, using the Arabic pejorative term for IS. “PKK is not a threat to the security of Iraq at all.”

Regarding Na’ima’s statement, Toner expressed the US was against this move. “Obviously, we would not support that,” Toner said.

The PKK is labeled a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. The group has waged three decades of insurgency against the Turkish government in the past.

Editing by Ava Homa