US embassy cable - 04ANKARA3578

S E C R E T ANKARA 003578 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR NEA/NGA AND EUR/SE; BAGHDAD ALSO FOR MNF-I 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2029 
TAGS: PTER, MARR, MOPS, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TURKS CLAIM COALITION USING EX-PKK IN IRAQ 
OPERATIONS - REQUEST GUIDANCE FOR REPLY 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ERIC EDELMAN, REASONS 1.4 B AND D. 
 
1. (U) Urgent Action Request at Para 2. 
 
2. (S/NF) On June 23 the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) 
Ankara received a letter (text at para 3 below) from Turkish 
General Staff (TGS) J-3 LTG Yalcin alleging that 30 former 
PKK operatives now in the Kurdistan Democratic Party's 
(KDP's) special forces had been used by the U.S. in 
operations in the Najaf region.  The letter further alleges 
that these men were wounded, and had been visited at a Mosul 
hospital and paid USD 3,000 by a U.S. team.  ACTION REQUEST: 
We urgently request guidance from Washington on how ODC 
should respond to the letter and the allegations. 
 
3. (S/NF)  Begin text of letter from TGS J-3 to ODC Ankara, 
dated June 21, 2004: 
 
SUBJECT: Utilization of PKK/Kongra-Gel Organization in 
Operations 
 
We have obtained information that the U.S. is utilizing 30 
ex-PKK/Kongra-Gel members of the KDP special forces in 
operations conducted in the Najaf region.  These 
ex-PKK/Kongra-Gel members are assumed to be terrorists who 
surrendered to the KDP before. 
 
The PKK terrorists were injured in the operations and are 
being treated at the Ibni Sina Hospital located in Mosul.  A 
U.S. team visited the terrorists under treatment and donated 
3,000 U.S. dollars and some clothing. The commitment has been 
made that the seriously injured ones will be treated in the 
U.S. 
 
It has been evaluated that it is not appropriate to utilize 
ex-members of the subject organization, which is included in 
the list of terrorist organizations, regardless of what your 
purpose is. 
 
Metin Yavuz YALCIN 
LTG 
Chief, Operations 
 
End text. 
 
4. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
EDELMAN