The spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against Daesh acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that there are PKK elements in northern Syria, not only in Iraq.
Colonel John Dorrian, the spokesman for the coalition, complained about the fashion of airstrikes conducted by the Turkish military in Syria and Iraq on Tuesday, saying "their airstrikes didn't provide adequate time and coordination to assure that [it was] PKK who has been struck."
The coalition sent a group of U.S. forces to Syria's Derik, where Turkish airstrikes hit targets, as a show of solidarity on Tuesday. The pictures from the area showed that a senior U.S. soldier was welcomed by people carrying PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's posters and PKK flags. Colonel Dorrian evaded the question surrounding these images and reiterated the fact they were visiting coalition partners the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The People's Protection Units (YPG), is the Syrian armed wing of the PKK, a terror group designated by the U.S., European Union and Turkey.
Another picture emerged from the welcoming ceremony held by the YPG, which showed a senior U.S. officer walking with PKK commander Ferhat Abdi Şahin or Şahin Cilo.
The PKK commander is a well-known individual among Turkish security forces due to his role in countless terror attacks targeting Turkish citizens since the early 2000s. Various reports suggested that Cilo is PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's adopted son. Turkish intelligence believes he was assigned as the general commander of the PKK and YPG forces in Syria in 2012.Colonel Dorrian again skipped the question on the sighting of a PKK commander with a U.S. soldier, but said the area was very crowded, implying that they didn't know every individual in Derik.PKK presence in Sinjar
Responding to a question on PKK groups in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, the colonel said their presence was a problem, regardless of their location, to everyone since the PKK is a designated terror group.
The Turkish Air Force carried out airstrikes against PKK terrorists near northern Iraqtarget="_blank"'>