US approval of PKK/PYD deal with Daesh 'grave mistake'

By Guc Gonel and Andac Hongur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The U.S. backing a secret cooperation between the terrorist groups Daesh and the PKK/PYD in Syria is "a grave mistake," according to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Thursday.

A recent PKK/PYD deal to allow hundreds of Daesh terrorists to escape Raqqah has received strong reaction from Turkey.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon on Tuesday defended the deal calling it was part of a "local solution to a local issue."

Bekir Bozdag, speaking to reporters prior to an Istanbul event, described the latest development as "a perilous situation," adding "Turkey has always said that you cannot fight a terrorist organization with [the help of] another".

Bozdag said the PYD or YPG could not have possibly made such an agreement without the knowledge of the U.S.

"We see that there is no true fight against Daesh. One terrorist organization is cooperating with another to protect it. And this cooperation is made under US surveillance. This is unacceptable.

"We expect the whole world to see this grave mistake, and closely review the hypocritical approach in this regard," he said.

The PYD and its military YPG wing are Syrian branches of the PKK, which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years.

Since the PKK launched its terror campaign in Turkey in 1984, tens of thousands of people have been killed, including more than 1,200 since July 2015 alone.

The U.S. and the coalition have largely ignored the PYD/YPG links to the PKK, which the U.S., EU, and Turkey list as a terrorist group.

Most recently, the PKK/PYD, after declaring victory in Raqqah, released a video dedicating the triumph to Abdullah Ocalan, the convicted PKK terrorist leader jailed in Turkey since 1999.