On Saturday, the US embassy in Turkey released an official statement condemning a giant banner of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan raised by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa city.
Kurdish factions of the SDF – YPG and YPJ – raised the Ocalan banner in the center of Raqqa and declared its “victory” over ISIS in the city on Friday.
In its statement, the US embassy encouraged all sides to avoid actions that might “increases tension”. The US embassy also stressed that the US is working with Turkey to fight terrorism and emphasized that the US recognizes the PKK a terrorist organization
The US embassy also said that Ocalan is in prison in Turkey because of terrorist acts he managed within the PKK. The embassy added that Ocalan “does not deserve to be respected”.
However, the statement was released only in Turkish language. This could mean that it was aimed at the Turkish audience.
On Friday, Pentagon Spokesman Major Galloway also condemned the raise of Ocalan banner in Raqqa city by the SDF.
“The PKK has been a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997 and we continue to see PKK as a destabilizing actor it the region. The United States continues to support our NATO Ally Turkey in its multi-decade struggle against the PKK and recognizes the loss of life Turkey has suffered in that conflict.” Major Galloway said according to the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper.
Back on 15 February 1999, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization known as (MİT) captured Ocalan in Kenya in a secret operation. Ocalan was captured while he was being transferred from the Greek embassy to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi city.
It was reported that the CIA played a key role in the MİT operation to capture Ocalan. However, today the CIA is one of the main allies of the SDF that its mainly formed from the PKK-linked organziation known in Syria as the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Brilliant move by US Embassy to calm Turkish nerves which are on edge by SDF/YPG taking Raqqa and adding strategic depth to Rojava Project. APO is in Turk jail; so it costs US nothing. Meanwhile, the blunder in Iraq by US in allowing Kirkuk to be captured has created yet an another opportunity for Russia to expand its presence in KRG and take over some pipelines. Not only has Russia never put PKK on terror list, Russia did not condemn KRG Referendum. So Russia is supporting both YPG in Syria and KRG in Iraq; contrary to the whims of Turkey & Iran.
Shut up kike
amazing insight… can you give us more of that?
Yes I can,
Nobody wants, nobody likes, KIKES KIKES KIKES.
Good try Ken. Russians did see the opportunity here, as US betrayed Kurds who now have nowhere to turn, but to come to daddy. I am expecting Erbil to sing Russian balalaikas instead of cowboy songs very very soon.
For $4 billion, Barzani will sing any request song that Putin likes.
The big picture is important here. Barzani gets his political survival, he settles for much less then what he had before, Kurds, especially in Syria abandon US and make a deal with Assad, and Russians are go to guys who mediate it all. Win-win for everybody except for Muricans who are out of the game comletely.
I hope your right and the Kurds and have used US, it would make more sense for them, US not likely to go quietly though
He had always sung it much more cheaper. Time to get rid of this stupid backward Barzani clan. Their times will be over soon enough… and that´s the way we´ll like it ;-)
‘Brilliant move by US embassy..’ Err, no. This is just very basic, low level, US damage control toward Turkey. The US went all in with the YPG/PKK proxies in Syria after the FSA proxies proved a omplete failure, and now the YPG/PKK have let that support go to their heads and are completely over playing their hand.
Not gonna buy it. More like a show to make Erdogan’s Turkey happy, otherwise YPG is PKK. Designation of a group as terrorist never stopped the US to arm and support them as evident by their support of Al-Qaida and it’s spin-offs, MEK and PJAK. Sometimes they scratch a group’s name from the list, ususaly after a re-branding of the franchise, but the game is the same.
Iran has also helped them when they were fighting Saddam.
If by “them” you mean Iraqi Kurds then yes. Iran still helps them.
Although when it is all a fact, the lack of intelligence and common sense of Erdogan, but the true, I doubt that he is foolish and naive enough, to believe that false American condemnation when American soldiers are very happily living and participating together in Raqqa, actively in the victory celebration of SDF troops his servants and puppets. After all, both Erdogan and his American friends are two good actors very distinguished in the art of deceit and lies, my friend.
these Kurds are really fools using uncle Ocalan image after becaming slaves of the systems he has fought for all his life.
Fought against* ?
The SDF exhibit a gigantic portray of the leader of the PKK in an Arab city: this is a perfect proof that SDF= PKK terrorists, what already became clear to me these last months.
Unless pkk aren’t really terrorists, then it’s just a show for the Turks.
Oh,but they are terrorists that
Oh please! Pull your Gdamn Terra Cotta Wool – whatever this might be – but spare the world your conspiricy crap. Thanx!
Why the fake outrage antipasto.
Wikipedia: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK is an organization based in Turkey and Iraq. It is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. PKK’s leaders are listed in major narcotics traffickers under US’ Kingpin Act. Since 1984 the PKK has been involved many terrorist attacks in an armed conflict with the Turkish state, with the initial aim of achieving an independent Kurdish state, later changing it to a demand for equal rights and Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.
Also, Please Note that in addition to trying to achieve basic human rights, the PKK is NOT a listed terrorist group by the UN, Russia, India etc.
*Basically the only ones calling PKK terrorists are Turkey & its Nato Allies who made that determination long ago. **At Least 3 Courts in the EU have specifically ruled that the PKK is NOT a terrorist group.
Did you somehow miss the part about PKK being listed as major narcotics traffickers by US? That is how basic premise of terrorism is financed, they use one set of criminal activities to fund a further another set of illicit activities.
Bob, thata an irrelevant point. The US doesn’t care about Middle East drug trade. It has more important issues like Isis & AL Queda to think about.
What sort of hopeless attempt at a diversion or dismissal is that? Again, narcotics trafficking – whether it’s the KLA or PKK – is just one basic and common example of how terrorist organizations actually function, and finance their activities through organized criminality.
According to their own published videos, they ambush and kill Turkish conscripts. 18-19 years old boys who just finished the high school and need to finish military service to be able to find a job and get on with their life. What do you call this?
Are they killing them because they are young or because they attack the kurdish people?
I don’t know why, you should ask the ones who kill those kids, but if PKK in Turkey acts the same as PJAK in Iran, they get no sympathy from me.
Here comes the double sided USA.
So we have an organization that has the word ‘Democratic’ in its name. And it displays huge banners of its socalled ideological leader. Am I the only one who thinks this can only end with secret police, ‘re-education camps’ and the disappearance of anyone deemed a hindrance to the ‘new regime’?
I’ll take Assad any day over these socalled ‘democrats’. Unlike them Assad is at worst only interested in staying in power so he can line his pockets. As long as you shut up he doesn’t care about what you do. Those kind of dictators tend to kill less people then the socalled do-gooders who want to reinvent and control human beings and every aspect of society.
Assad isn’t a dictator, they had three choices unlike those with a monarchy system.
assad IS dictator. but for us useful dictator.
Erdogan play another record. This one is getting old.
The craziest thing about that giant PKK banner erected by the SDF is this comment of the US regime that the PKK is a terrorist organization! Well then the US regime is implicitly admitting that, like always, they created and have training, arming and supporting a terrorist organisation, this time the SDF… it remembers me exactly of what they likewise did in Afghanistan with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to destroy the moderate and secular, pro-Russian country, like they now created and used first ISIS and co. and then the SDF to destroy Syria (in this case because the colonial Jewish regime hates its neighboring countries).
It’s all in the re-branding.
Change the name of AlQaida into Jebhat-Al-Nusrah and you can make an exception. If some nosy people find out it’s the very same Al-Qaida, change it again into Hey’at-Tahrir-al-Sham until the next re-branding.
The same for PKK. Change it into YPG, and even vreate a YPJ or any other alphabet soup and all is good.
The franchise.is always the same, only the name changes.
Indeed, you are entirely right, it is exactly so. And likewise with ISIS, which was a branch from Al Nusrah set up by jihadist whom the US regime had set free from the jails they run in Irak and made a deal with them to have all jihadists leave Irak and destroy Syria instead. When the US regime created and developed the Taliban, the media of our Western regimes would call them all the time “freedom fighters”, like they now call the terrorists groups they set up in Syria : “opposition”…
Hahaha, the Kurds keep making the dumbest moves possible…
As much as I utterly despise Erdogan, he is correct when he says PKK and YPG are the same thing. Once again the US reveals its seamless hypocrisy.
In Raqqa , an Arab city , the SDF fly the PKK face of Ocalan in a victory party , proving they are Kurdish , not Arab , and far, far from their home .
Yes and more than this, not only Kurdish, but also a terrorist organization (PKK)
The American controlled SDF , claim to be Kurdish with a mix of various Arab tribes as the reason for the name change from YPG . Obviously the Arab tribes have no power or respect and are just a PR front for the Kurds being so far south of their territory , and a “reason” to keep Raqqa .
“” Back on 15 February 1999, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization known as (MİT) captured Ocalan in Kenya in a secret operation. Ocalan was captured while he was being transferred from the Greek embassy to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi city.
It was reported that the CIA played a key role in the MİT operation to capture Ocalan. However, today the CIA is one of the main allies of the SDF that its mainly formed from the PKK-linked organziation known in Syria as the People’s Protection Units (YPG).””
They forgot to put that the Traitorous Foreign Minister of Greece at the time was Pangalos and Prime Minister Konstantinos Simitis (a.k.a (((Aaron Avouris))), a Simite) It was only a lone Greek Agent Kalenteridis trying to protect Ocalan, the whole Greek Governmet were full of Zionists (like today) It was the CIA and Mossad that helped MIT to capture him. It was downhill since then, until we are OFFICIALLY UNDER OCCUPATION by the Western Powers. Greece is NO LONGER A SOVEREIGN Nation.
Trump just now tweeted: The end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight”. Is he really that stupid? Is he not reading his own military reports, much less the “chatter” on forums such as this one? Can he not even tell when al-Baghdadi is deceiving him? Leave it to an “American-Stupid” to claim credit for something that hasn’t even happened yet; and isn’t even due to him.
Does anyone know anything about Iraqi Forces trying to reach Zahko, Iraq?
(Some reports recently, but it is in KRG territory ).
If you by Zahko you actually mean Zakho, it’s a border crossing (an old settlement of Jews, Assyrians, Armenians and Chaldeans).
According to Iraq’s constitution, border crossings are Iraqi federal government’s responsibility and controlling it will be within their rights.
Kurds after learning more of their history i should say either it was tragically used for their convenience or they are naturally backstabber. Anyway their banner of unity is the Kurds ethnicity resembles Israel a lot.