Turkey's Bombing of Kurdish Positions Benefits ISIL - Iranian General

Turkey’s airstrikes against Kurdish positions in Iraq are a strategic mistake that makes accessing Turkish border areas easier for Islamic State (IS) extremists, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Firouzabadi told the Iranian news agency ISNA in an interview:

“The Turkish government carries out attacks against Kurds that counter IS, easing the path to the Turkish border for the [IS] terrorists.” 

Last week, Turkey launched a two-front military campaign against IS in Syria and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq following a suicide attack in the Turkish city of Suruc that killed 32 people, and the murders of two police officers in the southern city of Ceylanpinar.

The PKK claimed responsibility for the Ceylanpinar killings, saying the policemen had backed Islamic State. The Suruc attack was reportedly carried out by IS militants.