Turkish authorities responded by asserting: “Our people die because of your actions. Do not send arms if you’re not able to secure them.”Turkish authorities have complained that US weapons have been seized from PKK terrorists, and the US pledged a serious probe into the claims. Last week a group of US representatives, including FBI and CIA officials headed by Department of Defense Inspector General Gen. Claude Kicklighter and State Department Inspector General Howard J. Krongard, were in Ankara for meetings with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, the chief of general staff and security officials, including some from the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department (KOM).
The US officials pointed out that two people who worked in 2003-2004 for Blackwater USA, a private security company hired by the US State Department to guard US Embassy staff in Iraq, have been in police custody and are suspected of being behind the alleged transfer of weapons to the PKK.
The US officials reportedly thanked the Turkish officials at KOM for their investigation which exposed the issue. Turkish officials noted that 800 weapons donated to Iraq by the United States have been found in Turkey and asked the inspectors to register arms to prevent losses.
The list of US-donated arms to Iraq includes 138,813 9mm Glocks, 165,409 Kalashnikov AK-47s 38,053 generic 9mm handguns, 14,983 RPG machineguns, 384 shotguns, 60 sniper rifles, 1,528 RPG-7 grenade launchers and 3,900 hand grenades.
Those arms, which were donated to Iraq through the signing of 19 agreements and involved 142 transfer documents, cost the US $133 million.
The US inspectors left Turkey on their way to Iraq to continue the investigation.
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