Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged people not to confuse operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party with a war. He added that any country had the right to resist terrorism.
The Turkish conflict with the Kurdistan Workers' Party has been ongoing for over 25 years. The PKK demands independence. The conflict has resulted in deaths of over 40,000 people. The UN and the European Union recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization.
