© Provided by Washington Examiner The United States reaffirmed to Turkey that it blames the Kurdistan Workers' Party for the execution of 13 kidnapped Turks after the country called an earlier statement from Washington on the killings "a joke."
On Sunday, Turkey announced that militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, executed captives, which included Turkish military and police, during a military occupation against the group in Iraq, according to Reuters.
Washington issued a statement Sunday night saying it stood with NATO member Turkey and condemned the killings if it is confirmed that PKK was responsible for the killings.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Washington early Monday for previously calling the PKK a terrorist organization but allowing U.S. forces to be deployed alongside Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria. Ankara views the YPG to be intrinsically linked to the PKK. Erdogan also summoned the U.S. ambassador to Ankara on Monday.
He called the response from Washington "a joke," asking, "Were you not supposed to stand against the PKK, the YPG? You clearly support them and stand behind them."
According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a Monday call and "affirmed our view that PKK terrorists bear responsibility."
Price did not say whether the call was made in response to Turkey summoning the U.S. ambassador, though a call between the two diplomats was slated to happen in recent weeks. It represented the first call between Washington and Ankara in the four weeks since President Biden's administration took over.
Erdogan has vowed to continue cross-border missions into Iraq against PKK operatives, which have waged insurgency conflicts for decades in primarily southeastern Turkey, resulting in over 40,000 deaths since 1984, according to the International Crisis Group.
"If we are together with you in NATO, if we are to continue our unity, then you will act sincerely towards us - then you will stand with us, not with the terrorists," Erdogan said.
Following the 13 killings, Erdogan said nobody can criticize Turkey's cross-border missions in Syria or Iraq. He added that countries have a choice to make between supporting Turkey or other militants.
Biden has said he wants to mend strained ties between Turkey and the U.S., though Washington's support of the YPG amount to a deeper point of contention following the killings.
Earlier this month, the president denied that the U.S. had any involvement in a 2016 attempted coup in Turkey and condemned it. His response was made after senior Turkish officials attempted to place blame on the U.S. and claimed that Washington was involved.
Tags: News, U.S.-Turkey relations, Turkey, Biden, Antony Blinken
Original Author: Kaelan Deese
Original Location: US responds to Turkish president's accusations of backing Kurdistan Workers' Party after Turks killed in Iraq