Turkey hails US stance on PKK leaders, seeks same in Syria

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s defence chief has welcomed a U.S. decision authorizing multimillion-dollar rewards for information on the whereabouts of top Kurdish rebel leaders, but urged the U.S. to also adopt a tough stance against Syrian Kurdish militia.

The United States announced Tuesday that it would offer a total of $12 million for information leading to the “identification or location” of three senior leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which both Turkey and the United States have branded a terrorist organization.

U.S. support to a Kurdish militia group in Syria — which Turkey considers an extension of the PKK — has raised tensions between the NATO allies, however.

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said: “We expect the same stance, approach and viewpoint against (Syrian Kurdish militia), which is no different than the PKK.”