| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Clash in Southeast Turkey Leaves 12 Dead |
| 2007-08-25 |
| A clash between troops and Kurdish rebels near Turkey's southeast border with Iraq left 10 rebels and two soldiers dead, the military said Saturday. The fighting erupted Friday near Uludere, a town in Sirnak province, when the troops called for the rebels to surrender but were met with gunfire, the military said in a statement on its Web site. It was the number of casualties in a single clash in recent months. The rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people. Kurdish rebels have killed about 80 soldiers since January, most in roadside bomb attacks on military vehicles. Turkey has threatened to invade northern Iraq to eradicate rebel bases there if U.S. or Iraqi forces do not crack down on the PKK. During a visit by Iraq's prime minister to Ankara last week, the two countries agreed to try to root out the rebels. But Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the Iraqi parliament would have the final say on efforts to halt the guerrillas' cross-border attacks into Turkey. The military statement said troops were pressing ahead with anti-rebel offensives in Sirnak, but gave no further details. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |