Turkey praises 'overdue' US bounties for PKK leaders
Ankara is pleased with Washington's offer of high bounties for three top Kurdistan Workers Party leaders, but the move won't buy forgiveness for the US alliance with Syrian Kurds.
ANKARA -- Turkey has cautiously welcomed the US decision to post bounties totaling $12 million for the three top leaders of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). But it fears Washington may have taken this step against the Turkish Kurd insurgents to make up for its support for their Syrian sister organization, the People's Protection Units (YPG).
The US Embassy said the State Department was offering $5 million for information leading to the capture of Murat Karayilan and $4 million and $3 million, respectively, for Cemil Bayik and Duran Kalkan. Karayilan has led the insurgent group from the mountains of northern Iraq since the PKK's founder, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured in 1999. Bayik cuts a higher profile than Karayilan through his press interviews on PKK strategy.
Turkish intelligence accuses Bayik of instigating a car bomb attack that killed 35 people in central Ankara in March 2016. It accuses Kalkan of killing seven Turkish soldiers in December 2009.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said Wednesday the government was pleased by the US decision, but added, “We expect this step to be supported by concrete actions to be made in Iraq and Syria as part of fighting against the PKK and its extensions.”
