'YPG/PKK terrorists are biggest obstacle to regional peace'

ANKARA

After its latest attack on Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq, the YPG/PKK terror group has shown once again that it is the biggest obstacle to peace and stability in the region, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"By treacherously attacking the Peshmerga, the YPG/PKK terror group has shown once again that it is the biggest obstacle to peace and stability in the region," the ministry said in a press release a day after the attack.

Five Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers were killed on Saturday in an ambush set by PKK terrorists in the Amadiya District of Dohuk province in northern Iraq. Seven Peshmerga soldiers were also injured.

The ministry said the attack was clear proof that the terror group's aim was not to protect the Kurdish people and that it could not be seen as its representative.

It urged the friendly and allied countries of Turkey to halt their support to the terror group, especially by supplying arms and ammunition.

Reiterating Turkey's resolution in its fight against terrorism, the ministry wished mercy upon the deceased and a speedy recovery for the injured.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- takes the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq as its stronghold and is active in many cities and towns. It occupies a large number of villages in the region and launches attacks on Turkey's interior.