A "safe zone" Turkey and the US are creating in Syria is an attempt by Ankara to stop the Kurds from forming their own territory, the leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party said on Wednesday.
HDP chairman Selahattin Demirtas said Turkey's operation against Islamic State militants across the border was a cover to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party forces. He urged both Turkey and the PKK to return to the peace process, BBC reported.
Ankara earlier said PKK attacks on Turkey made peace attempts impossible. There has been a recent series of clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK. Turkey has also been hit by attacks by IS-linked militants, including one that left 32 dead in the border town of Suruc last week. Turkish planes struck PKK sites in northern Iraq overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, in what Reuters said was the heaviest such assault since last Friday.
Separately, the US has confirmed it was holding talks with Ankara about their joint military campaign against the IS in Syria.
