Report: WikiLeaks Docs to Show US Military Supporting PKK in Turkey’s Civil War

Military Praises PKK as 'Warriors for Freedom' Against NATO Ally

Speculation is flying fast and furious over the details of the upcoming WikiLeaks release, fueled in no small part by US official warnings to a number of its allies about how hugely damaging the release could be.

The documents are said to be potentially damning to a large number of foreign governments, but perhaps the most damaging content could be related to the US military, which according to media reports will be shown to have secretly backed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in its ongoing civil war against Turkey.

The PKK has been officially listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department since 1979, which would be reason enough that the Defense Department cannot legally back them. It is doubly problematic in this case, however, as the PKK has been fighting Turkey, a NATO member and close military ally of the US.

The Pentagon is said to have praised the PKK as “warriors for freedom” in official documents and has ordered detained PKK captured inside Iraq released. They are also said to have provided the organization with weapons.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.