The U.S. embassy in Turkey condemned the hanging of Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) ringleader Abdullah Öcalan posters around Syria’s Raqqa on Saturday.
“The U.S. government is working closely with Turkey in the war against terrorism and to ensure regional stability. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization and Öcalan is imprisoned in Turkey due to his ties to the PKK and his terrorist activities. Öcalan is not worthy of respect,” said the statement released by the embassy.
On Thursday, a large banner of Öcalan was raised by the PKK/PYD in Raqqa’s main square. The terrorist groups also released a video dedicating the Raqqa triumph to Öcalan, who founded the PKK in 1978.
The U.S. declined to directly comment Friday on the unveiling of a huge banner of jailed terror leader Abdullah Ocalan by the PKK/PYD in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
The PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK, which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years, was among the U.S.-backed SDF to take Raqqa from Daesh earlier this week.
Questioned about “a victory enabled by the U.S. that is dedicated to a terrorist group”, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana W. White declined to comment directly.
“We work with the SDF,” she told a news conference. “We'll continue to work by, with and through the SDF to ensure that we defeat ISIS [Daesh],” White added.
The U.S. has supported the SDF, which consists of the PKK/PYD and other groups, in fighting Daesh in Syria but has largely ignored its links to the PKK.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. Öcalan was jailed for treason in Turkey in 1999.
The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.
