Turkey bombs new Kurd targets in Iraq

C. ONUR ANT

Associated Press

December 22, 2007 at 2:03 PM EST

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq on Saturday in the third confirmed cross-border offensive by Turkish forces in less than a week, a statement posted on the military's website said.

The military said the bombing lasted nearly a half-hour on Saturday afternoon, and was followed by shelling from inside Turkish borders. It did not say how deep into Iraqi territory the warplanes penetrated, or which areas were shelled.

It vowed to continue military operations on both sides of Turkish-Iraqi border “no matter how the conditions are.”

Turkish jet fighters on Dec. 16 launched the first confirmed air assault on Iraqi soil since the U.S.-led invasion, bombing bases in northern Iraq held by the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

 

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A Turkish soldier patrols in an army vehicle on a road near Yuksekova in southeastern Turkey, bordering Iraq, Saturday.Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish guerrilla targets in northern Iraq. (REUTERS/Osman Orsal)

 

The United States and Iraq both have urged Turkey to avoid a major operation in the area, fearing it could destabilize what has been the calmest region in Iraq.

Turkish forces periodically have shelled across the border, and sometimes have carried out “hot pursuits” — limited raids on the Iraqi side that sometimes last only a few hours.

The rebels have battled for autonomy in southeastern Turkey for more than two decades, and use strongholds in northern Iraq for cross-border strikes.

After a surge in rebel attacks in the past months, Turkey has said it can no longer tolerate the attacks on its troops, and in October Turkey's Parliament authorized the military to strike back at the rebels inside Iraq.

In a Nov. 5 meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Bush declared the PKK a “common enemy,” and promised to share intelligence on the group.

“The terrorist organization of the PKK will see and understand that there is no secure place left Iraq's north, and it will understand that it has no chances against the Turkish Republic,” the Turkish statement said.

Two days after the first air assault, Turkey sent hundreds of troops into northern Iraq in another operation, but withdrew them later in the day. The military then said those two operations dealt a major blow to the rebels, but did not say how many rebels had been killed.

In Saturday's statement, it said “hundreds” were killed in operations, citing “intelligence gathered from various sources.” It said footage showing the results of the operations would be released in coming days.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reported that more than 1,800 people fled their homes in parts of northern Iran, and Iraqi officials have complained that Turkey's actions are a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. They have also said they recognize the threat posed by the PKK.