Jigs
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Turkish forces, aircraft hunt PKK in N. Iraq
Turkish special forces pursued Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists into northern Iraq and struck suspected targets with helicopter gunships and drones, killing at least five members of the outlawed group, the General Staff said in a statement.
The raid into Iraq, which occurred in a border region south of Hakkari early on Friday, came after two other soldiers were killed by PKK fire, according to the General Staffs website. Three groups consisting of seven to eight commandoes each, as well as four helicopters and an unspecified number of unmanned aerial vehicles, made the incursion, it said.
Anti-aircraft fire was opened onto helicopters from various positions across the border. The air force fired upon those areas, it said. It was observed that those positions were destroyed, it continued, adding that operations against the PKK continued.
In a statement issued late on Saturday, the PKK said the Turkish military began an operation on Thursday to cross the border and that the PKK members came under helicopter and mortar bombardment as they engaged troops in two days of fighting. All together, a ... total of 15 enemy soldiers have been killed during clashes that occurred in five different places on May 6 and 7, the statement said, adding that two PKK terrorists had also been killed.
The Iraqi government has protested against previous Turkish land incursions aimed at rooting out the PKK. In February 2008, the military staged a ground incursion with 10,000 troops. It also regularly bombards suspected PKK targets from the air.
The weekends cross-border operation follows recent announcements from the Turkish government that Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has been formally invited to Turkey. Barzani is expected to visit Turkey soon, although no date has been announced yet. The visit will underscore the dramatic improvement in ties between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, whom Ankara accused in the past of sheltering the PKK. The PKK, which has bases in the mountains of northern Iraq, is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, in addition to Turkey.
Turkish special forces pursued Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists into northern Iraq and struck suspected targets with helicopter gunships and drones, killing at least five members of the outlawed group, the General Staff said in a statement.
The raid into Iraq, which occurred in a border region south of Hakkari early on Friday, came after two other soldiers were killed by PKK fire, according to the General Staffs website. Three groups consisting of seven to eight commandoes each, as well as four helicopters and an unspecified number of unmanned aerial vehicles, made the incursion, it said.
Anti-aircraft fire was opened onto helicopters from various positions across the border. The air force fired upon those areas, it said. It was observed that those positions were destroyed, it continued, adding that operations against the PKK continued.
In a statement issued late on Saturday, the PKK said the Turkish military began an operation on Thursday to cross the border and that the PKK members came under helicopter and mortar bombardment as they engaged troops in two days of fighting. All together, a ... total of 15 enemy soldiers have been killed during clashes that occurred in five different places on May 6 and 7, the statement said, adding that two PKK terrorists had also been killed.
The Iraqi government has protested against previous Turkish land incursions aimed at rooting out the PKK. In February 2008, the military staged a ground incursion with 10,000 troops. It also regularly bombards suspected PKK targets from the air.
The weekends cross-border operation follows recent announcements from the Turkish government that Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has been formally invited to Turkey. Barzani is expected to visit Turkey soon, although no date has been announced yet. The visit will underscore the dramatic improvement in ties between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, whom Ankara accused in the past of sheltering the PKK. The PKK, which has bases in the mountains of northern Iraq, is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, in addition to Turkey.
