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Turkish artillery shells suspected Kurdish militant positions in Northern Iraq
Turkeys military and civilian leaders vowed to press ahead on Thursday with cross-border attacks against Kurdish militants in Iraq as Turkish artillery shelled suspected Kurdish militant targets across the Iraqi border. Turkish warplanes also attacked militant positions in northern Iraq on Thursday, according to NTV television, which cited Iraqi Kurdish officials. However, Turkish authorities did not immediately confirm the reports.An Iraqi Army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Turkish shelling hit several villages in the Sedafan area, some 30 kilometres away from the Turkish border. Jabbar Yawar, a spokesman for the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, said sporadic bombing was taking place in the border areas. He gave no information about casualties. Yawar said Turkish fighter jets had penetrated Iraqi air space, but had not dropped any bombs. In Ankara, Turkeys civilian and military leaders issued a statement after a bimonthly meeting on national security, saying cross-border attacks by the military would continue as long they were deemed necessary. The military did not comment on the reports of shelling, but denied a news report out of Iraq that claimed that Turkish forces had clashed with Iraqi Kurd fighters in northern Iraq. A ground operation against the militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, hiding in Iraq remained an option, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Tuesday. The timing of any operation would depend on weather, he said. Posted by: Fred 2008-02-22 |
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