Odierno holds meetings on PKK in Turkey

• Tweet

ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Top Turkish government authorities met with U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno Wednesday to discuss the ongoing effort to counter the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, held a series of meetings with Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Mrat Ozcelik, Turkey's Iraq ambassador, among other government and security authorities Wednesday, Hurriyet reported.

The talks were part of what is referred to as the tripartite mechanism established by Turkey, Iraq and the United States in 2008 to discuss measures to crack down on the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization. The PKK largely operates from northern Iraq where it stages attacks against Turkish targets.

"Within this trilateral framework, the United States is working with the government of Turkey and the government of Iraq to ensure cross-border security and an end to PKK terrorism," Odierno said in a statement.