Where The Kurds Presently Live (Photo: Middle East Info)Turkey Hits PKK Targets In N.Iraq After Ambush -- Reuters
ANKARA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Turkey's military launched retaliatory air strikes inside northern Iraq on Monday against suspected Kurdish separatist rebels after at least 15 Turkish soldiers were killed in a cross-border attack on Friday.
With public anger mounting after the attack -- the deadliest against the military in one year -- Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the powerful military have pledged to step up a campaign to crush the outlawed PKK.
The incident has strained ties between Iraq and Turkey, which accuses its neighbour of not doing enough to combat rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) based in mountainous northern Iraq. Two soldiers were also wounded and two more were missing and possibly dead after rebels used heavy weapons.
"The military continues to follow terrorist members who took part in the Oct. 3 attack," the General Staff said in a statement. "Our warplanes achieved their mission and came back to base safely," the statement said.
There was no immediate indication about whether the raids had caused casualties or what damage had been caused.
NATO-member Turkey has attacked PKK bases in northern Iraq several times over the past 12 months but has confined itself to shelling and air strikes since a brief land offensive in February.
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My Comment: As Iraq continues to stabilize, the PKK is also stating to assert itself in the north. This is a no win situation for Turkey.