Turkey, Iraq on same page against terror groups

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey and Iraq agreed to continue fighting terrorists trying to disrupt peace and stability in their common region, the Turkish president announced Thursday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks came at a joint news conference following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi who is in Turkey to discuss regional, bilateral and economic ties.

Erdogan said terror groups such as Daesh, also known as ISIS, as well as the PKK and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), were "common enemies" of both sides and underlined that separatist terrorist aims had no future in Turkey, Iraq or Syria.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.