U.S. Military Halts Military Program to Help Turkey Target Kurds

U.S. Soldiers at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey (Department of Defense)

U.S. officials told Reuters that the Pentagon has suspended an intelligence-sharing program that helped Turkey target the PKK, a Kurdish militant group, on February 5.  Both the U.S. and Turkey classify the PKK as a terrorist organization. According to U.S. officials, the move is a response to the Turkish incursion into Syria earlier last year and is yet another sign of the deepening rift between the United States and Turkey.

The Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) is a Kurdish militant group that is considered a terrorist group by most countries, including the United States and the European Union. Previously, the United States shared intelligence gathered by unmanned drones, some of which are flown from Incirlik Air Base, a U.S. military hub in southern Turkey. Much of the intelligence gathered was from the mountainous territories of northern Iraq, near the Turkish border.

According to Reuters, the program’s suspension came as a result of Turkey’s incursion into Syria after the U.S. withdrew its troops from the region in October last year.  The withdrawal led to thousands of Kurdish civilians being displaced, causing overall instability across the region. 

In halting the program, a U.S. official said it would make the “anti-PKK campaign more difficult and more costly for Turkey.” In addition, the official noted that Turkey has not struggled to replicate the information collected by drones..”

“We have supported Turkey in their fight against the PKK in many ways for decades. As a matter of policy, we do not provide details on operational matters,” said a statement from the Pentagon. 

The Turkish defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment, but Turkish officials confirmed the program was no longer in operation.

In recent years, disagreements between Turkey and the United States have compounded, despite Turkey remaining a NATO partner. Last summer, Turkey took delivery of a Russian-built air defense system, the S-400, which the U.S. government strongly protested. In response, the Department of Defense removed Turkey from its F-35 program and barred Turkey from buying any of the advanced stealth fighters. Since then, Turkey’s incursion into Syria and the recent decision by Ankara to send troops to war-torn Libya has only exacerbated the tension between the two countries, despite a strong personal relationship between President Trump and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan.