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Turkish troops enter Iraq
Turkish troops have crossed the border into northern Iraq, according to reports on Turkish television station IHA. At least 1,500 troops moved in, as a precursor to a larger deployment. Earlier, Turkey opened its airspace to US military aircraft as war rages in neighbouring Iraq. The country said it wanted to control the flow of refugees to prevent "terrorist activity" and does not have territorial ambitions. But Washington has been strongly opposed to Turkey's troops moving into Iraq, though the US has not yet given an official reaction. Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul earlier told reporters that the deployment of troops is necessary to rout out Kurdish guerrillas and prevent an influx of refugees.Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-03-21 |
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