Pentagon report: PKK working with Iran-backed militias against Türkiye

“Militias probably calculate that their attacks against Türkiye will deter Ankara from attacking the PKK,” says Pentagon.

The PKK terror group is coordinating with Iran-backed militia groups against Turkish forces in northern Iraq, according to a recently published Pentagon analysis.

The Lead Inspector General of the US-led anti-Daesh coalition said in a quarterly report published on Tuesday that Iran-backed militants have recently “increased attacks against Turkish forces in Iraq and Syria” with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessing “that the militias probably will continue to coordinate with the” PKK.

“Following Turkish air strikes in February that targeted the PKK in northern Iraq, a new Iran-aligned militia group conducted a rocket attack against a Turkish expeditionary base north of Mosul,” the declassified report said.

“The DIA said the militias probably calculate that their attacks against Türkiye will deter Türkiye from attacking the PKK in federal Iraq while enhancing their public image as defenders of Iraqi sovereignty,” it added.