Top PKK commander calls for removal from US terror list

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A senior commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) called on the United States to directly engage with them, rather than relying on information from Turkey, and remove the group from the terror list in recognition of the PKK’s contribution in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS).

“Up until now, America has not engaged with us. The US learns about us from third parties who are against us – like the Turkish state. I think that America has been fed misleading and fraudulent information about us,” Murat Karayilan, a member of PKK’s executive body, said during an interview with the Jerusalem Post, published on Thursday.

“The only solution is for America to engage with us, lay out a clear policy toward the Kurds and contribute to solving the Kurdish issue,” he said.

The US, among other Western allies of Turkey, considers the PKK a terrorist organization, listing in 1997. Karayilan claimed that the inclusion of the PKK and its commanders on the US terror list was a “calculated maneuver from US politicians to appease the Turkish state.”

“We call on the US to delist us from the terrorist list. The PKK had a major role in stopping ISIS [Islamic State] from expanding in the region, and we hope that the US will change their views toward our movement. Such a diplomatic approach would benefit the US and its allies in the region,” he said. The US has put a $5 million bounty on Karayilan.

The PKK is an armed group struggling for increased cultural and political rights of Kurds in Turkey. It will celebrate its 42nd anniversary on Friday.

The group’s activities inside and outside Turkey have been condemned by the US, which in late August called on Erbil, Baghdad and Ankara to work together to oust the PKK from Shingal where it gained a foothold during the war to defeat ISIS.

Washington also condemned the PKK attack against Peshmerga forces in Duhok province early in November.

Karayilan said in his interview with the Israeli news outlet that “We do not have enmity toward any party, including the US, and we have never targeted the US.”

PKK officials have accused the US several times of providing military support to Turkey, including disclosing coordinates of their bases and positions.

“Unfortunately, despite our support for democracy, liberty and human rights, the US and Western countries still support the Turkish state and its military campaign against us. We hope the US will review its policy and be more positive toward the Kurdish people,” said Karayilan.

Top PKK commander calls for removal from US terror list

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