WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) US President Donald Trump said during a press conference on Wednesday that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) probably represents a greater terrorist threat than the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia).
"The PKK, which is a part of the Kurds as you know, is probably worse a terror and more of a terrorist threat in many ways than ISIS [Islamic State]," Trump said.
Trump also said that the Kurds are no "angels."
On Tuesday, Turkey's Defense Ministry said 611 Kurdish fighters have been "neutralized" in the military operation Ankara launched on October 9 in northeast Syria. Turkey considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria to be an extension of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK). Ankara has classified the PKK as a terrorist organization.
On October 9, YPG spokesperson Nuri Mahmoud in a Twitter post said Turkey has provided hundreds of former fighters from the Islamic State and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusra Front, banned in Russia) with sophisticated NATO weapons that will be used against the people of northeast Syria.
The Syrian government has said Turkey's operation amounts to aggression and violates the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Syrian government has also deployed troops to northern Syria in a deal with the Kurds.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia respects Turkey's right to ensure security of its borders but expects its offensive in Syria's north to be proportionate.
