US working with Turkey to end Kurd violence

THE Pentagon said yesterday it is working with Turkey to resolve a “serious problem” posed by the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, but declined to comment on a media report of secret plans to stop rebel violence.

The news came after officials confirmed the victory of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party in the recent general election.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the US State Department lists as a terrorist organisation, has escalated attacks on soldiers and civilians in Turkey in recent months, prompting Turkish calls for a cross-border operation against rebels based in northern Iraq.