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.
Russia published addresses of manufacturers allegedly producing drones or components for Ukraine on Wednesday (15 Apr...
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli and Lebanese leaders have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire that includes Hezbollah, raising cautious hopes of ...
The U.S. House of Representatives has narrowly voted to block an effort to rein in Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations ag...
Georgia’s parliament has approved fast-tracked amendments to the Law on Grants, introducing new exemptions and ...
RRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Beijing is placing China’s diplomacy under closer scrutiny, as it balances its partn...
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
A gunfight with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district left at least one attacker dead and two others injured, according to Turkish authorities, prompting a major police response on Tuesday (7 April).
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has hailed the growing importance of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) amid rapidly shifting regional and global dynamics.
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile. The head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Israel’s nuclear capability should be “eliminated as soon as possible”.
Dubai’s most iconic hotel, the Burj Al Arab, is set to close for the first time since opening in 1999 as it begins an extensive 18-month refurbishment aimed at preserving its status as a global symbol of luxury.
Azerbaijan and Russia have announced a formal settlement over the 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer 190 near Aktau, confirming that all outstanding issues, including compensation, have been resolved.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that there was a "good chance" of a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel happening soon, after he announced a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries.
Türkiye is reeling after a second school shooting in as many days, after a 14-year-old student killed nine people - eight pupils and one teacher - and wounded 13 others at a middle school in the south-eastern province of Kahramanmaraş on Wednesday, officials said.
North Korea is making “very serious” advances in its nuclear weapons capabilities, with signs of a new uranium enrichment facility and increased activity at a key complex, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi has said.
Georgia’s parliament has approved fast-tracked amendments to the Law on Grants, introducing new exemptions and expanding the state’s role in defining and overseeing foreign funding.
Nine people, including eight children, were killed in a shooting at a middle school in Türkiye’s southeastern Kahramanmaraş province on Wednesday. Thirteen others were injured, sparking public outrage and raising concerns about a rare phenomenon in the country.
South Korea will import 18 million barrels of Kazakh oil via routes bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, as it seeks to shield its energy supply from mounting instability in the Middle East.
Kazakhstan has ratified an allied relations treaty with Tajikistan and a strategic partnership agreement with the United Kingdom, aiming to deepen regional cooperation and expand ties with a major foreign investor.
The United Nations says it reached millions of Afghans with healthcare, education and livelihoods support in 2025, despite declining global humanitarian aid and mounting pressures from displacement, climate shocks and operational constraints.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment