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Turkey’s Erdogan Says Sees No Difference Between IS, Kurdistan Workers' Party

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Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan stated Saturday that he considers both the Islamic State (IS) group and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to be terrorist organizations and does not recognize a difference between the two.

ANKARA, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan stated Saturday that he considers both the Islamic State (IS) group and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to be terrorist organizations and does not recognize a difference between the two.

"The IS for us are the same thing as the PKK. It's erroneous to consider and regard them separately. There are other terrorist organizations apart from them. And we, as well as the whole world, must assess them right," Erdogan told the press during the celebration of Eid al-Adha in Istanbul.

Earlier, the IS jihadists launched an offensive on one of the major cities of Syrian Kurdistan, Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani. Some 140,000 Kurds have since fled the area for the neighboring Turkey.

The Kurdish independence supporters, including the PKK, have been fighting the government forces since 1984. In 2013, the sides agreed on a ceasefire, which held until September 2014, when the PKK attacked Turkish policemen over alleged maltreatment of Syrian Kurds by Ankara.

The IS extremist group has proclaimed a caliphate on the vast areas it had seized across Iraq and Syria. The United States and its allies have been carrying out airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq since August. In September, the US-led coalition started conducting attacks against terrorists on Syrian soil, though without approval from Damascus.

Thursday, the Turkish parliament approved the use of military force in Iraq and Syria. According to the parliamentary decision, the Turkish army can be used in operations abroad within one year, while foreign militaries will be allowed stationing in the country.

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