International   

Turkish troops cross Iraqi border

DUBAI: Tensions along the Turkey-Iraq border have escalated with the entry of Turkish troops into Iraqi territory.

Around 300 Turkish troops crossed 3 km inside the Iraqi border in an apparent bid to flush out members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey accuses the PKK of using strongholds inside northern Iraq to launch cross-border attacks against its troops.

It claims that nearly 3,000 PKK rebels are based in Iraq and are supported by the local Kurdish authorities there.

The incursion of ground troops followed two days of heavy aerial bombardment by around 50 Turkish warplanes.

A spokesman of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces was quoted as saying that Turkish troops had entered a mountainous area called Seeda Kan.

This is a triangular zone close to the borders of Iraq, Iran and Turkey.

Downplaying the incursion, a senior Iraqi military official said that the Turks appeared to have launched a limited operation that was unlikely to expand.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Turkish troops cross Iraqi border
A lapse, says Pakistan
Fidel Castro hints at retirement
Headline-grabbing gimmick: British Opposition
Sinhalese, Tamils divided on peace process
The accidental calendar priest
Journey to Mount Arafat
Fast track business visas
Louisiana police suspect two black men
Two Indians convicted for murder

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu