Turkey offers condolences over Peshmerga deaths

By Sinan Uslu

ANKARA

Turkey on Wednesday offered condolences to Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani over the deaths of Peshmerga troops in a Turkish airstrike.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Barzani, an official in the prime ministry said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

He added that cooperation against terrorism would continue.

Tuesday’s strikes against PKK targets in Sinjar, northern Iraq, and Karacok, Syria, killed 70 terrorists but up to six Peshmerga were also slain.

Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was a “source of sadness” that the Peshmerga had been killed.

“The Turkish military's operation is absolutely not against Peshmerga forces,” he said.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU. It resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015, since when it has been responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,200 people.