Türkiye has said it is “closely monitoring” the movements of the so-called Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) following U.S. calls for local Kurdish militias to join the ongoing regional conflict against Iran.
Based in the mountains of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, PJAK is the Iranian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara - along with Brussels and Washington - regards as a terrorist group.
At a Thursday press briefing, a spokesman for the Turkish defence ministry reaffirmed Ankara’s respect for the territorial integrity of neighbouring states.
“The activities of structures that fuel ethnic separatism, such as the terrorist organisation PJAK, negatively affect not only the security of Iran but also the broader peace and stability of the region,” he said.
The spokesman added that the defence ministry was “closely monitoring” PJAK’s movements in coordination with other Turkish state agencies.
According to sources cited by Reuters, Kurdish separatist groups are in consultation with Washington about whether - and how - to attack Iranian security forces deployed in western Iran.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would support an armed offensive against Iran by Kurdish groups operating in the region.
“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that,” he said. “I’d be all for it.”
On the same day, Iran’s intelligence ministry said Iranian forces had inflicted “heavy losses” on Iraq-based “separatist groups” seeking to breach Iran’s western border.
The ministry added that security forces were cooperating with pro-government Iranian Kurds to thwart what it described as an “Israeli-American” plan to carry out attacks on Iranian territory.
Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency, meanwhile, denied reports that armed Kurdish groups had succeeded in crossing the border from northern Iraq.
Over the past three days, several militant camps in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region have been struck by Iranian missiles and drones, according to local security sources and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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Türkiye and Britain have signed a three-year deal covering training, maintenance and technical support for UK-made Eurofighter Typhoon jets, 20 of which Türkiye bought last year.
Türkiye’s leading drone manufacturer has unveiled its newest long-range kamikaze drone, capable of operating alongside other drones without human intervention. The K2 Kamikaze UAV, developed by Baykar, can carry out missions up to 2,000km from its launch point.
A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country’s deputy foreign minister said. Meanwhile, Iran postponed the funeral of its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to state media.
Türkiye and Iran have suspended day-trip passenger crossings at their shared border, Türkiye's trade minister said Monday, as a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran entered its third day.
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
Israel said it had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy, on Thursday, as confict in the Middle East continued.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
Pakistan has resumed military operations against Afghanistan after a brief Eid ceasefire, officials said on Thursday, dampening hopes of a lasting truce following the worst cross-border fighting in years.
Iran has alerted the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the killing of civilians, medical staff and aid workers in U.S.–Israeli attacks, the vice-president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said.
Israel said it had killed Iranian Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri in an air strike on Thursday (26 March), as multiple reports emerged of Tehran allowing some ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The European Union has announced €250,000 in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan to support families displaced by conflict and those recovering from last year’s earthquakes, with around 70,000 people expected to benefit.
Türkiye and Britain have signed a three-year deal covering training, maintenance and technical support for UK-made Eurofighter Typhoon jets, 20 of which Türkiye bought last year.
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