"The Turkish claim they are fighting Islamic State… but in fact they are fighting the PKK… They are doing it to limit the PKK's fight against ISIL. Turkey is protecting ISIL," Bayik told BBC.
According to Bayik, Turkish authorities are behind massacres allegedly committed by ISIL, and Istanbul's aim is to "stop the Kurdish advance against [ISIL], thus advancing [their] aim of Turkishness in Turkey."
Turkey has been mired in violence in recent weeks, launching a campaign against both ISIL and the PKK. Ankara recently allowed a US-led international coalition against ISIL the use of several air bases in the country.
On July 20, a suicide bombing took place in the Turkish city of Suruc on border with Syria, killing more than 30 people, most of them Kurds. The attack was reportedly committed by ISIL.
Shortly following the incident, Kurdish militia from the PKK killed two policemen in Turkey, justifying the murders by claiming the officers backed ISIL.
