Turkey: The military operation against the PKK is taking place with the knowledge and approval of Ba

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[size=52]Turkey: The military operation against the PKK is taking place with the knowledge and approval of Baghdad[/size]

[size=45]Turkish sources confirmed, on Monday, that the military operation launched by Ankara against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq, is taking place with the knowledge and approval of the Iraqi government.[/size]
[size=45]Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party spokesman, Omer Celik, said that his country launched the "claw-lock" operation against the PKK in northern Iraq, based on the "legitimate right of defense to protect itself from terrorism."[/size]
[size=45]Çelik: Operation Claw-Lock is our legitimate right to protect Turkey from terrorism[/size]
[size=45]This came in a press conference, Monday, at the party's headquarters in Ankara, in which he stressed that Turkey is "fighting terrorism within the framework of its rights stemming from international law, and in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that Turkey would not have resorted to such operations if the neighboring countries in which the PKK is based were able to expel the "terrorists" from their lands, as he put it.[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that Turkey uses its legitimate right to self-defense and, through its operations, helps neighboring and brotherly countries to get rid of terrorism.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the former head of the Intelligence Department in the Turkish Army's Chief of Staff, retired General Ismail Hakki Beijing, known for his closeness to the ruling Justice and Development Party, revealed three main objectives of the Turkish operation against the PKK in northern Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]In statements to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, Beijing said that the Turkish operation aims to "prevent the crossing of the PKK militants who have completed their training to Turkey," noting that after this operation, "there will be no mention of the PKK in that area."[/size]
[size=45]He added that the second objective of the operation is "to demonstrate Turkey's strength to the world, as it coincides with large naval military exercises in the Mediterranean."[/size]
[size=45]The third and most important goal - according to Beijing - is to secure the supposed gas supplies to Europe.[/size]
[size=45]Beijing asserts that the current military operation against the PKK "is taking place with the knowledge and consent of Baghdad," and that it aims to secure the stability of northern Iraq, in preparation for the transfer of Kirkuk and Mosul gas to Europe, via Turkey.[/size]
[size=45]He also pointed out that this goal requires securing stability in Syria as well, as "this will also be the responsibility of Turkey[/size]
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