U.S. wants PKK out of Iraq’s Sinjar, Defense Secretary Mattis says

The United States wants to see PKK terrorists leave Iraq's Sinjar, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said late Tuesday, calling the group's presence a threat in the region.

The globally-recognized terrorist group had announced its withdrawal from the northwestern province on Friday, as Turkey expressed its determination to expand the scope of Operation Olive Branch in Syria's northwestern Afrin to northern Iraq.

The Fırat News Agency, a media group known for its links to the terrorist organization, reported that the PKK is withdrawing its militants since it "reached its goal" of diminishing Daesh from the city.

In mid-2014, the PKK managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar on the pretext that it was protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh.

Mattis' remarks came amid increasing tensions between Turkey and United States over the latter's support to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG), and the former's Operation Olive Branch that drove the terrorists away from Afrin.

Mattis also said that he is optimistic about the U.S.' relations with Turkey "despite serious disagreements on Syria."

The disagreements haven't affected dialogue between the two countries, he added.

"We have always been together during the most difficult times."

However, the secretary also criticized Turkey's anti-terror operation, saying that it "diminished the efforts to defeat Daesh."