Allies support Turkey's counterterrorism efforts
While Turkey continues to hit Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) positions in Syria and PKK hideouts in northern Iraq, Turkey's regional and global partners expressed their support for the military actions and condemned deadly attacks by the terrorist groups.
In a televised interview on Monday night, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey received messages of support and condolences from 121 countries and organizations.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Monday that the U.S. has long recognized Turkey's recent counterterror operations as a right of defense. "Turkey has continued to come under attack by PKK terrorists, and we recognize their right to defend themselves against those attacks," Kirby said.
"What we're trying to focus on here is a coalition to go after ISIS," he said. "I recognize that in some cases, the PKK has fought against ISIS, but they are a foreign terrorist [FTO] organization; we've designated them that as an FTO. And our fight against ISIS is not in cooperation with, coordination with or communication with the PKK." He added that he was not sure if the airstrikes against the PKK have concluded and said Turkey's ongoing operations against the PKK would not weaken the U.S.'s determination to fight ISIS.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered sympathy to Turkey after a recent wave of attacks. His spokesman said the U.N. chief "expresses his deepest condolences to the government and people of Turkey in the face of recent violent terrorist attacks."
Qatar condemned the "heinous acts" that caused the deaths of numerous civilians and military personnel in several cities of Turkey.
"While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the cowardly and heinous acts that pose a threat to security and stability in today's notice, it also expresses that Qatar is in solidarity with its sister nation, the Republic of Turkey, and supports all of the security measures taken by Turkey in order to maintain its border security and stability," the official Qatari statement read.
The president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Masoud Barzani, issued a statement late Sunday, saying: "The agreement between Turkey and the U.S. in striking ISIS is an important step for us. … Turkey's military involvement in this war carried out by the U.S.-led alliance will dramatically change the state of affairs."
In a televised interview on Monday night, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey received messages of support and condolences from 121 countries and organizations.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Monday that the U.S. has long recognized Turkey's recent counterterror operations as a right of defense. "Turkey has continued to come under attack by PKK terrorists, and we recognize their right to defend themselves against those attacks," Kirby said.
"What we're trying to focus on here is a coalition to go after ISIS," he said. "I recognize that in some cases, the PKK has fought against ISIS, but they are a foreign terrorist [FTO] organization; we've designated them that as an FTO. And our fight against ISIS is not in cooperation with, coordination with or communication with the PKK." He added that he was not sure if the airstrikes against the PKK have concluded and said Turkey's ongoing operations against the PKK would not weaken the U.S.'s determination to fight ISIS.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered sympathy to Turkey after a recent wave of attacks. His spokesman said the U.N. chief "expresses his deepest condolences to the government and people of Turkey in the face of recent violent terrorist attacks."
Qatar condemned the "heinous acts" that caused the deaths of numerous civilians and military personnel in several cities of Turkey.
"While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the cowardly and heinous acts that pose a threat to security and stability in today's notice, it also expresses that Qatar is in solidarity with its sister nation, the Republic of Turkey, and supports all of the security measures taken by Turkey in order to maintain its border security and stability," the official Qatari statement read.
The president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Masoud Barzani, issued a statement late Sunday, saying: "The agreement between Turkey and the U.S. in striking ISIS is an important step for us. … Turkey's military involvement in this war carried out by the U.S.-led alliance will dramatically change the state of affairs."
Last Update: July 28, 2015 20:24