US Assistant Secretary of State: "Turkey has the right to defend itself against terrorist groups"

Turkey has the right to defend itself against terrorists, and the US understands it conducting military pursuit into northern Iraq towards this end, said US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley on Wednesday. Asked by a reporter about the level of US intelligence-sharing with Turkey in its recent military forays into northern Iraq in pursuit of PKK terrorists, Crowley said, "The US and Turkey are NATO allies, so we share information and cooperate on an ongoing and continual basis." He added, "I can't say that the United States is directly involved in the action that Turkey has taken. These are security matters that directly affect the Turkish government and the Turkish people. The PKK challenge for Turkey is a longstanding one. Turkey, like any country, has the right to defend itself against terrorist organizations, and we will continue to work with Turkey depending on how this goes. But we certainly understand the reasons behind the action."