Al Jazeera English - News - Turkey Targets 'Pkk Bases In Iraq'

UPDATED ON:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2008
16:55 MECCA TIME, 13:55 GMT

NEWS EUROPE





Turkey targets 'PKK bases in Iraq'

Turkey has boosted the number of its soldiers on the Iraqi border to prevent PKK infiltration [AFP]

Turkish fighter jets have struck nearly 70 Kurdish separatist targets in northern Iraq in the latest in a series of strikes, according to the army general staff.

The military said in a statement on Monday that the raid on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets began around 3am local time (0100 GMT).

It said that its jets returned safely to base after completing their mission successfully.

The raid claim came a day after Turkish army officers said they killed 10 PKK fighters in clashes in Bingol, a province in the country's southeast.

The clashes occurred despite heavy winter conditions and snow, the officials said.

They said the Turkish soldiers had suffered no casualties.

Harsh climate

Violence tends to subside in winter months when fighters and army troops have difficulty operating in the harsh climate.

Ankara blames the PKK for the death of more than 40,000 people since 1984 when the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey.

Turkey has boosted the number of its soldiers on the Iraqi border to prevent PKK fighters crossing over to attack Turkish military and civilian targets.

In recent months the army has also bombed PKK targets several times in northern Iraq in cross-border operations.

Source: Agencies

Related:
	Turkey shells northern Iraq (11 Jan 2008)
	Turkey targets northern Iraq again (26 Dec 2007)
	Turkey bombs northern Iraq (25 Dec 2007)
	Turkish jets 'bomb PKK bases' (22 Dec 2007)
	Kurdish fighters 'killed' in clash (03 Feb 2008)

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