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Turkish jets fly over Iraqi Kurdistan,
chase Kurdish PKK rebels
24.2.2008
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February
24, 2008
CUKURCA, Kurdish Southeastern region of
Turkey, -- Turkish F-16 jets buzzed over the small
Turkish hilltop town of Cukurca on Sunday as elite
commandos chased Turkish-Kurdish PKK guerrillas
across the border in Kurdistan region 'northern
Iraq' in a major ground operation.
Armored personnel carriers transported troops in
full combat gear and four long-range guns were
positioned at the edge of a helicopter base in the
border town,www.ekurd.net
where at least four
attack helicopter gunships were stationed.
The base in Cukurca is one of the main support
centers for the Turkish operation across the border,
which began Thursday.
The Turkish military said it attacked rebel
hide-outs on Saturday with fighter jets, helicopter
gunships and artillery. The hide-outs had ammunition
and explosives inside, a military statement said. |
Turkish jets fly over Iraqi Kurdistan |
Kurdish rebels said they
shot down a Turkish
Cobra attack helicopter during Saturday's fighting
near the village of Hore, close the Turkish border,
the pro-Kurdish Firat news agency reported. There
was no confirmation from Turkey and no way to verify
the claim independently.
Earlier, the Turkish military said seven soldiers
and at least 79 rebels have been killed in the
operation since Thursday. The rebels of the
Turkish-Kurdistan Workers' Party,www.ekurd.net
or PKK, said they have
killed 15 Turkish troops.
The rebels are fighting for autonomy in
predominantly Kurdish southeastern Turkey and have
carried out attacks on Turkish targets from bases in
the semiautonomous Kurdistan region of northern
Iraq. The conflict started in 1984 and has claimed
as many as 40,000 lives.
On Saturday, Iraq's government also criticized the
offensive, saying military force will not solve the
Kurdish problem in Turkey.
"We know the threats that Turkey is facing but
military operations will not solve the PKK problem.
Turkey has resorted to military options, but this
never resulted in a good thing," Iraqi government
spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.
Massoud Barzani, President of the regional Kurdistan
administration in northern Iraq, warned Turkey it
will face large-scale resistance if it targets
civilians in its ground incursion.
Iraqi Kurdistan politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq', Turkey fears this could fan separatism among its own
large Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
Over 39,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish
PKK rebels.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by
the U.S. and the EU.
AP
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