Turkey says it is closely following actions of Iranian Kurdish PJAK militant group

ANKARA, March 5 (Reuters) – Turkey said on Thursday that it was closely following the actions of the Iranian Kurdish PJAK militant group, which it said threatened Iran’s security and regional stability, amid reports of discussions between Iranian Kurdish militias and Washington about the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

On Tuesday, sources told Reuters that the Iranian Kurdish groups had consulted with the U.S. about whether, and how, to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country.

Turkey, a NATO member and Iran’s neighbour, is currently working on securing peace with the outlawed Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group. Ankara also backs the integration of Syrian Kurdish militants into Syria’s state systems, and is unlikely to support collaboration with Iranian Kurdish militias by NATO ally Washington.

“The activities of groups that fuel ethnic separatism, such as the terrorist organization PJAK, negatively affect not only Iran’s security but also the overall peace and stability of the region,” Turkey’s defence ministry told a weekly press briefing in Ankara.

It added that Turkey’s state institutions were all closely following actions by the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an outlawed militant group that has links to the PKK, which Turkey, the U.S. and European Union designate as a terrorist group.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler, Alexandra Hudson)