Joint struggle against Turkish Kurd rebels

Turkish troops have been based in northern Iraq since 1997 to hunt for militants from the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) — now renamed KADEK — who have used the region as a springboard for attacks on Turkey.

The Turkish general staff said in a statement that the two sides discussed "what can be done jointly against the activities of the PKK-KADEK terrorist organization in northern Iraq."

The US ambassador to Turkey, Robert Pearson, also told reporters that both had agreed to cooperate on the issue.