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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The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is "outpacing containment efforts" amid conflict, weak disease surveillance and limited...
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The Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 concluded with renewed focus on regional stability, connectivity and diplomacy amid deepening global uncertainty.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum could evolve into a UN-style regional platform, bringing together diverse international actors, a political analyst has said.
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).
The U.S. and Iran have reportedly reached a preliminary 60-day ceasefire and nuclear talks deal, pending Donald Trump’s approval, Axios reports. Meanwhile, the GCC condemned Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. airbase in Kuwait, which Tehran said was retaliation for a U.S. strike near Bandar Abbas.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says ongoing conflict, funding pressures and international travel restrictions are complicating efforts to contain a fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz has taken steps towards potentially declaring a state of emergency as anti-government protests intensify in the early months of his administration.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a three-day state visit focused on energy, transport and economic cooperation with one of Moscow’s closest regional partners.
Muslims around the world have marked Eid al-Adha with prayers, celebrations and acts of charity, though for many Palestinians the holiday unfolded amid conflict, restrictions and loss.
Kyrgyzstan has signed a series of cooperation agreements with China and Belarus at the Fifth Forum of Regional Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, underlining the country's growing economic engagement within the regional bloc.
A group of Azerbaijani civil society organisations has called for increased scrutiny of Swiss building materials giant Holcim, citing court rulings and ongoing investigations linked to its subsidiary Lafarge's activities during the Syrian conflict.
Kazakhstan has reiterated that no existing route can replace the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which carries more than 80% of the country's crude oil exports through Russia to the Black Sea.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
Senior U.S. State Department officials spent three days in Georgia meeting ministers, opposition figures and Church leaders as Washington intensifies its strategic engagement across the South Caucasus.
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