Army bombs PKK bases in North Iraq
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 30, 2008 00:00
KANDIL - Turkish fighter jets bombed PKK hideouts in northern Iraq on Sunday, just days after three Turkish soldiers were killed in a deadly attack, a spokesman for the terrorist group said.
"At noon today, a Turkish aircraft struck the Kurdish districts of Khwakurk and Khnera. The strikes lasted until 3 p.m.," spokesman Ahmed Denis told AFP.
"Turkish aircraft also hit these areas last night for one hour. As these areas are remote we do not have any information about casualties," he said.
The attacks on the districts close to the common borders between Iraq, Iran and Turkey came after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks in Ankara with his Iraqi counterpart, Nuri al-Maliki on Dec. 24.
The prickly issue of the PKK hiding in Iraqi mountains along the border was at the center of their talks, said officials, who added that the two prime ministers vowed to step up their cooperation against the group.
Hours after Maliki's visit, three Turkish soldiers were killed and another nine wounded when PKK members armed with automatic weapons attacked an army vehicle in the village of Cizre, near the borders of both Iraq and Syria.
On the eve of Maliki's visit, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, gave fresh assurances that both Baghdad and the Kurdish administration of northern Iraq were determined to purge the region of the PKK.
He said Kurdish parties in northern Iraq would soon convene a meeting to issue a joint appeal to the PKK to abandon its armed struggle. The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and many in the international community, took up arms for self-rule in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 44,000 lives.
"Turkish aircraft also hit these areas last night for one hour. As these areas are remote we do not have any information about casualties," he said.
The attacks on the districts close to the common borders between Iraq, Iran and Turkey came after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks in Ankara with his Iraqi counterpart, Nuri al-Maliki on Dec. 24.
The prickly issue of the PKK hiding in Iraqi mountains along the border was at the center of their talks, said officials, who added that the two prime ministers vowed to step up their cooperation against the group.
Hours after Maliki's visit, three Turkish soldiers were killed and another nine wounded when PKK members armed with automatic weapons attacked an army vehicle in the village of Cizre, near the borders of both Iraq and Syria.
On the eve of Maliki's visit, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, gave fresh assurances that both Baghdad and the Kurdish administration of northern Iraq were determined to purge the region of the PKK.
He said Kurdish parties in northern Iraq would soon convene a meeting to issue a joint appeal to the PKK to abandon its armed struggle. The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and many in the international community, took up arms for self-rule in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 44,000 lives.