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.
