Turkey 'active member' in anti-Daesh/ISIS effort: US

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkey is an "active member" in efforts to secure the lasting defeat of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization, the U.S. State Department said in a report issued Friday.

The department said in its annual, congressionally-mandated Country Reports on Terrorism, that in 2018 Ankara "continued its efforts to defeat terrorist organizations both inside and outside its borders," including by taking anti-PKK and anti-Daesh/ISIS measures.

It further noted that Turkey has been an "active contributor" in international anti-terror organizations, including the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition.

"Turkey is an active member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, co-chairs the Defeat-ISIS Coalition FTF Working Group, and continued to provide access to its airspace and facilities for operations in Iraq and Syria," it said using another name for Daesh.

"Turkey also contributes to the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, a GCTF-inspired institution, and provides expert support to assist training for judges and prosecutors handling terrorism cases," it added.

The department further said the PKK, a U.S. and Turkey-designated terrorist group, espouses "a range of extremist and nationalist ideologies," and continued "to plot against police and military targets in Turkey and raise funds throughout the rest of Europe" last year.

It added that Ankara "continued to receive U.S. assistance to address the terrorist threat posed by the PKK in 2018," including the listing of three senior PKK leaders on the U.S.'s Rewards for Justice program in November 2018. In all, the U.S. offered $12 million for information on the individuals.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.