Baku, Azerbaijan, June 8
Trend:
Ankara can strike at the Iraqi regions of Kandil, Sinjar and Mahmur, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported.
"If the Iraqi authorities can not cope with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Turkey will not ask anyone’s permission and will strike at the Iraqi regions of Kandil, Sinjar and Mahmur," Erdogan said.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, lasts more than 25 years, and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.