US welcomes PKK ringleader Ocalan's call for terror group to dissolve

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Friday welcomed a call by the jailed ringleader of the PKK terrorist group to lay down its arms.

"We've seen the reports on Abdullah Ocalan’s statement. The United States considers the PKK a Foreign Terrorist Organization, so any move to lay down arms and remove that threat is a welcome step," a State Department spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Anadolu

Meanwhile on Thursday, White House said that it believes the call to the PKK to dissolve will help bring peace to a "troubled region."

"It’s a significant development and we hope that it will help assuage our Turkish allies about U.S. counter-ISIS partners in northeast Syria," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in an emailed statement to Anadolu.

"We believe it will help bring peace to this troubled region," he added.

Jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan on Thursday called for the dissolution of all groups under PKK, urging an end to its terror campaign spanning over 40 years, which claimed at least 40,000 lives.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU.

Washington’s support for the YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been a major point of contention in US-Turkish relations, despite both countries being NATO allies.

The US views the SDF as its primary partner in the fight against ISIS (Daesh) in Syria, while Ankara strongly opposes this due to the YPG’s ties to the PKK.

Since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on Dec. 8, Türkiye has repeatedly called on the PKK/YPG to dissolve or face a potential military operation.

*Michael Hernandez contributed to the story