May 11, 2008

Iraqi officials: Turkey hits Kurdish bases in Iraq

The Associated Press

Turkish jets struck suspected Kurdish rebel targets close to the border in northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdish officials said Monday.

There was no immediate confirmation of the airstrikes from the Turkish military, but if confirmed it would be the third straight night of air attacks on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

In a statement posted on its official Web site, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said Turkish warplanes bombed several border areas near the towns of Neroye, Rekan and Dahuk in northern Iraq on Sunday night.

It said Turkish jets also bombed mountainous areas near Zakho earlier on Sunday. Turkish artillery units sporadically shelled the same areas, the Web site reported.

There was no information on possible casualties or damage, the Patriotic Union said. The group is Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's political party.

The PKK, considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has been fighting since 1984 for self-rule in Kurdish areas of Turkey. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people.

This year, Turkey has launched several cross-border aerial attacks to stamp out PKK bases in northern Iraq. In February, it also sent ground troops for an eight-day cross-border incursion, in pursuit of the rebels.