Iraq warm to Turkey's proposed anti-PKK joint ops centre, says Turkish official

21/3/2024 18:32

        Turkey proposed to set up a "joint operation centre" with Iraq in order to fight the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and Baghdad responded "positively" in a meeting last week, a Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday.
        
        Senior Turkish and Iraqi officials, including defence ministers, held talks in Baghdad last week to discuss security issues including potential measures against the PKK, after Turkey warned of new military operations in the region.
        
        During last week's meeting, the two sides also discussed preparations for a planned visit by President Tayyip Erdogan to Baghdad, which is expected to take place after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in April.
        
        The official said Ankara wants the joint operation centre to be included in a broader strategic document that Erdogan intends to sign during the visit.
        
        The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the insurgency.