U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isık met recently in Washington, D.C., to discuss a group flagged by the U.S. as a rebel organization.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK, was formed in 1978 in Ankara, Turkey, for the purpose of establishing an independent Kurdistan through armed means, a Defense Department release said. According to the BBC, the group has Marxist-Leninist roots and attempted unsuccessfully in July 2016 to stage a coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said Mattis and Isık also discussed the Syrian crisis and pledged continued mutual collaboration to eliminate violence and suffering during their meeting at the White House.
"(Mattis) recognized the generosity of the Turkish government and people in managing the refugee and humanitarian challenges stemming from Syria," White said in the release. "Both leaders affirmed their support for peace and stability in both Iraq and Syria and look forward to continuing to work together on the U.S.-Turkey security alliance."
White aslo said Mattis affirmed the nation’s intention to expand cooperation on counter-terrorism with Turkey. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and the European Union as well as the United States.
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