Kathianne
12-16-2007, 09:51 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071216/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_iraq_kurds
Turkish planes hit rebel targets in Iraq
By SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago
Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq early Sunday, Turkey's military said, the first such attack since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. An Iraqi official said the planes attacked several villages, killing one woman.
Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek urged Kurdish separatists to surrender and said Turkey would press ahead with operations against rebel bases in northern Iraq "with determination when necessary."
The attack came a month after the United States promised to share intelligence with Turkey about the Kurdistan Workers Party, which seeks autonomy for the Kurdish minority in southeastern Turkey and has hideouts in northern Iraq.
But the U.S. and Iraq have urged Turkey to avoid a major operation against PKK bases in northern Iraq for fear of destabilizing the most stable region in the country. Turkey has massed tens of thousands of Turkish troops along the border with Iraq amid a series of attacks by Kurdish insurgents.
The fighter jets hit rebel close to the border with Turkey and in Qandil mountain further away from the frontier, the military said in a statement on its Web site. It said the operation was directed against the PKK and not against the local population.
All planes returned to their bases safely and the army continued firing on the targets with long-range weapons, the military said. Artillery units fired shells toward Iraq from the town of Cukurca, where the borders of Turkey, Iran and Iraq meet, footage from the private Dogan news agency showed...
Turkish planes hit rebel targets in Iraq
By SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago
Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq early Sunday, Turkey's military said, the first such attack since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. An Iraqi official said the planes attacked several villages, killing one woman.
Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek urged Kurdish separatists to surrender and said Turkey would press ahead with operations against rebel bases in northern Iraq "with determination when necessary."
The attack came a month after the United States promised to share intelligence with Turkey about the Kurdistan Workers Party, which seeks autonomy for the Kurdish minority in southeastern Turkey and has hideouts in northern Iraq.
But the U.S. and Iraq have urged Turkey to avoid a major operation against PKK bases in northern Iraq for fear of destabilizing the most stable region in the country. Turkey has massed tens of thousands of Turkish troops along the border with Iraq amid a series of attacks by Kurdish insurgents.
The fighter jets hit rebel close to the border with Turkey and in Qandil mountain further away from the frontier, the military said in a statement on its Web site. It said the operation was directed against the PKK and not against the local population.
All planes returned to their bases safely and the army continued firing on the targets with long-range weapons, the military said. Artillery units fired shells toward Iraq from the town of Cukurca, where the borders of Turkey, Iran and Iraq meet, footage from the private Dogan news agency showed...