David Satterfield, the US Ambassador to Turkey, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday to discuss the recent statement released by the US regarding the killing of 13 Turkish citizens near Duhok, northern Iraq. The US indicated that it stood with its fellow NATO member while also condemning the killings should it be confirmed that the responsibility of the killings lay with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Following the release of this statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the US of supporting terrorists. Furthermore, Erdoğan described the statement as a farce, and pointed out that the US supports terrorism by standing on the side of the PKK, even though it states it is against terrorism.
On Sunday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that the bodies of 13 people were found in a cave in the Gara Mountains, near Duhok city. The bodies were found during a counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq against the PKK. At least 48 PKK terrorists were killed during the operation according to the statement of Hulusi Akar, Turkey’s Defense Minister.
