Iraq bans a Kurdish separatist group and strengthens its cooperation with Turkey

Associated Press

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The Iraqi government has announced an official ban on a Kurdish separatist group which has been engaged in a long-running conflict with Turkey. Turkey has been seeking greater cooperation from Baghdad in its fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s and is banned there. The PKK has maintained bases in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. In recent months, Turkey has built up its troops in northern Iraq and has threatened an offensive to clear PKK forces from the border area.