Joe Biden: PKK threat to Turkey like ISIS

US vice-president Joe Biden said on Saturday that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is a threat to Turkey like the ISIS, condemning the Kurdish militants as “a terror group plain and simple”.

After talks with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul, Mr Biden also hailed Turkey for taking “very important steps” to counter ISIS jihadists and said progress in the fight would now speed up.

ISIS “is not the only existential threat to the people of Turkey, the PKK is equally a threat and we are aware of that... It is a terror group plain and simple and what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous,” Mr Biden said.

The PKK, listed as a terror group by Washington and the EU, has killed dozens of members of the Turkish security forces in attacks since a truce collapsed in July.

However Turkey has repeatedly expressed concern that Washington was seeking to woo the PKK — as well as Kurdish militias inside Syria — as an ally on the fight against ISIS.

“We do agree with you that in terms of their actions Daesh (ISIS), PKK and Al-Nusra... are simply terrorist groups,” said Mr Biden.

He praised Turkey for taking “very important steps to improve the security of its border” from ISIS militants.